LIBRARY 

OF    THL 
U  N  1VER5  ITY 
or    ILLl  NOIS 


>.\ 


KLINOIS  HISTOSICAL  SUMt 


JIJI, 


STARK  COUNTY 

ILLINOIS 

AND  ITS  PEOPLE 


A  RECORD  OF  SETTLEMENT,   ORGANIZATION, 
PROGRESS  AND  ACHIEVEMENT 


J.   KNOX  HALL 

SUPERVISING   EDITOR 


ILLUSTRATED 


VOLUME  I 


Chicago 

THE  PIONEER  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 

1916 


^  -^..f  .^r'^y 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  I 
<^  PHYSICAL  FEATURES,  GEOLOGY,  ETC. 

LOCATIOX  AND  BOUNDARIES — SURFACE — RIVERS  AND  CREEKS — GENERAL 

CHARACTER NATIVE  A'EGETATION ANLMALS  AND  BIRDS GEOLOGY 

— THE  COAL  MEASURES — SECTIONS  OF  MINING  SH^Vl'TS — EXTENT  OF 

THE  COAL  DEPOSITS — BUILDING  STONE — THE  GLACIAL  EPOCH HOAV 

STARK  COUNTY  ^VAS  FORMED — CHARACTER  OF  THE  GLACIAL  DRIFT — 
THE    AVATER    SUPPIA' 9 

CHAPTER  II 
ABORIGINAL  INHABITANTS 

.MOUND  BUILDERS FIRST  NOTICE  OF  MOUNDS  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES 

CHARACTER  AND  STRUCTURE  OF  THE  MOUNDS — EARLY  INVESTIGA- 
TIONS AND  THEORIES WORK  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  ETHNOLOGY — DIS- 
TRICTS IX  THE  UNITED  STATES — WHO  WERE  THE  MOUND  BUILDERS — 
MORE  THEORIES — RELICS  IX  THE  COUNTY  OF  STARK — ADAMS  AND 
shallexberger's   work 22 

CHAPTER  III 
INDIAN  HISTORY 

DISTRIBUTIOX   OF   IXDIAX   NATIO>JS  AT   THE   CLOSE   OF   THE   FIFTEENTH 
CENTURY"  —  THE  ILLINOIS  —  SUBORDINATE  TRIBES  —  THE  SACS  AND 

FOXES THE    BLACK    HAWK    WAR DEATH    OF    BLACK    HAWK THE 

POTTAWATOMI THEIR  VILLAGES  IN  STARK   COUNTY SHAB-BO-NEE 

— TREATIES    WITH    THE    POTTAWATOMI THEIR    CHARACTER THE 

WINNEBAGO INDIAN    NA:MES 31 

\  iii 

\  I  I  0948  I 


iv  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  IV 
THE  PERIOD  OF  PREPARATION 

EiiRLY  EXPLORATIONS  IN  AMERICA SPANISH,  FRENCH  AND  ENG- 
LISH CLAIMS  TO  TERRITORY  IN  THE  NEA\^  WORLD — THE  JESUIT 
MISSIONARIES — DISCOVERY    OF    THE    MISSISSIPPI — :MARQUETTE    AND 

JOLIET LA    SALLE's   EXPEDITIONS LOUISIANA CROXAT   AND    LAW 

THE  MISSISSIPPI  BUBBLE — CONFLICT  OF  INTERESTS — FRENCH  AND 

INDIAN   AVAR — ILLINOIS   A   BRITISH    POSSESSION THE    WAR   OF   THE 

REVOLUTION CLARK's    CONQUEST    OF    THE    NORTHWEST ILLINOIS 

UNDER  VARIOUS  JURISDICTIONS ADMITTED  AS  A  STATE EVOLUTION 

OF  STARK  COUNTY — RECAPITULATION 45 

CHAPTER  V 
SETTLEMENT  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

AN  OLD  TRADING  POST EVELAND  AND  ROSS — ISAAC  B.  ESSEX  THE  ORIG- 
INAL PIONEER — FIRST  CABIN  IN  STARK  COUNTY — LIST  OF  SETTLERS 
EACH  YEAR  TO  1839 — PIONEER  LIFE  AND  CUSTOMS — THE  HOUSE 
RAISING — FURNITURE  AND  UTENSILS — SWAPPING  WORK — AMUSE- 
MENTS AND  PASTIMES — MARKING  ANIMALS — THE  OLD  TRAPPER's 
SOLILOQUY 58 

CHAPTER  VI 
STARK  COUNTY  ORGANIZED 

THE  MILITARY  LAND  GRANT — FORGED  TITLES — FIRST  COUNTIES  IN  THE 
ILLINOIS  VALLEY — STARK  COUNTY — THE  ORGANIC  ACT — FIRST  ELEC- 
TIONS— THE  COUNTY  SEAT — CHANGE  IN  GOA'ERNMENT — THE  COURT- 
HOUSE— THE  ANNEX — THE  COUNTY  JAIL — SHERIFF  MURCHISON's 
REPORT — THE  POOR  FARM — HOW  THE  COUNTY  WAS  NAMED 70 

CHAPTER  VII 
TOWNSHIP  HISTORY 

ORIGIN  OF  THE  TOWNSHIP — FIRST  TOWNSHIPS  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES — 
justices'  districts  in   STxVRK   COUNTY — ESTABLISHMENT  OF   CIVIL 


CONTENTS  V 

TOAVNSHIPS  IX  1853 — ELM  IRA — ESSEX— GOSHEN — OSCEOLA — PENN 
— TOULON — VALLEY — WEST  JERSEY — MILITARY  LAND  ENTRIES  IN 
E^CH — HOW  THE  TOAVNSHIPS  AVERE  NAMED — EARLY  SETTLERS- 
PRESENT  DAY  CONDITIONS— RAILROADS— SCHOOLS— POPULATION  AND 
AVEALTH ^^ 

CHAPTER  VIII 
CITIES,  TOWNS  AND  VILLAGES 

SPECULATION  IN  EARLY  DAYS — NUMEROUS  TOWNS  PROJECTED — LIST  OF 
TOAVNS  AND   VILLAGES  IN   STARK   COUNTY — CITIES  OF  TOULON   AND 

WYOMING INCORPORATED  VILLAGES  OF  BRADFORD  AND  LAFAYETTE 

MINOR    VILLAGES HISTORICAL    SKETCH   OF   EACPI PRESENT   DAY 

CONDITIONS POSTOFFICES  AND  RURAL  MAIL  ROUTES Ill 

CHAPTER  IX 
MILITARY  HISTORY 

AVAR  OF  1812 BLACK  HAAVK  AA^VR AVAR  AVITH  MEXICO AA'AR  OF  1861- 

'65 — CONDITIONS  LEADING  UP  TO  THE  AVAR — THE  SLAA'ERY  QUESTION 

C0MPR03IISE    LEGISLATION — KANSAS-NEBRASKA    BILL — POLITICAL 

CAMPAIGN  OF  1860 — SECESSION  OF  THE  SLAA'E  STATES — FALL  OF  FORT 
SUMTER — CALL  FOR  A'OLUNTEERS — AVAR  MEETING  AT  TOULON — ILLI- 
NOIS' RESPONSE — EARLY  ENLISTMENTS — BRIEF  HISTORIES  OF  THE 
REGIMENTS  IN  AVHICH  STARK  COUNTY  AVAS  REPRESENTED — ROSTER 
OF  STARK  COUNTY  COMPANIES — MISCELLANEOUS  INFANTRY  ENLIST- 
MENTS— CAA^ALRY  SERVICE — ARTILLERY — SOLDIERs'  MONUJIENT^ 
THE  AVORK  AT  HOME 135 

CHAPTER  X 
INTERNAL  II^IPROVEMENTS 

EARLY  CONDITIONS  IN  STARK  COUNTY — ^DIFFICULTIES  OF  EARLY  TRAVEL 
— INDIAN  TRAILS — PUBLIC  HIGHAVAYS — KNOXVILLE  &  GALENA  STATE 

ROAD FIRST     ROAD     DISTRICTS     AND     SUPERVISORS PETITIONS     AND 

VIEAVERS MODERN     HIGHAVAYS STATE     HIGHAVAY     COMMISSION- 

STATE  INTERNAL  IMPROAEMENTS — ILLINOIS   &  MICHIGAN   CANAL — 


vi  CONTENTS 

ACT    OF    1836 LxUJGE    APPROPRIATIONS    FOR    RIVER    IMPROVEMENTS 

AND    RAILRO^VDS THE   RAILROAD  ERA WESTERN   AIR  LINE A3IER- 

ICAN  CENTRAL — CHICAGO,  ROCK  ISLAND  &:  PACIFIC — CHICAGO,  BUR- 
LINGTON &  QUINCY — CHICAGO  &  NORTHWESTERN — VALUE  OF  RAIL- 
ROAD PROPERTY  IN  THE  COUNTY 162 

CHAPTER  XI 
FINANCE  AND  INDUSTRY 

PUBLIC    REVENUES — PROPERTY    VALUES — PRINCIPAL   FUNDS   RAISED   BY 
TAXATION — BANKING     INSTITUTIONS — GENERAL      HISTORY — EARLY 

BANKING    IN    ILLINOIS STARK    COUNTY    BANKS AGRICULTUItE^ 

CROP  AND  LIVE  STOCK  STATISTICS STATE  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE 

farmers'  INSTITUTES — COAL  MINING — MANUFACTURING TELE- 
PHONE   COMPANIES 177 

CHAPTER  XII 
EDUCATIONAL  DEVELOPMENT 

CHARACTER  OF  THE  EARLY  SCHOOLS — SCHOOLHOUSE  AND  FURNITURE — 

TEXT-BOOKS SPELLING  SCHOOLS — THE  THREE  r's — PUBLIC  SCHOOL 

SYSTEM — STARK     COUNTY     SCHOOLS PIONEER     TEACHERS — EDUCA- 

TION^VL  PROGRESS  BY  TOWNSHIPS THE  SEMINARY TOULON  PUBLIC 

SCHOOLS — TOULON  ACADEMY WYOMING  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS — SCHOOL 

OFFICERS TEACHERS^     INSTITUTE — TEACHERS'     ASSOCIATION — THE 

PRESS — BRIEF  HISTORIES  OF  THE  VARIOUS  NEWSPAPERS — EXTINCT 
NEAVSPAPERS PUBLIC  LIBRARIES WYOJIING TOULON  LAFAY- 
ETTE   BRADFORD ELMIRA     IJBRARY     ASSOCIATION SCHOOL 

LIBRARIES.  .......  ^ 194 

CHAPTER  XIII 
THE  BENCH  AND  BAR 

PURPOSE  OF  THE  COURTS — THE  LAWYER  AS  A  CITIZEN — EARLY  COURTS 

OF  STARK  COUNTY FIRST  JURORS SKETCHES  OF  EARLY  JUDGES- - 

LIST  OF  CIRCUIT  JUDGES  SINCE  1839 — CONSTITUTIONAL  PROVISIONS 

CONCERNING  COURTS PROBATE  COURT COUNTY  COURT  AND  JUDGES 

state's  ATTORNEYS UNITED  STATES  COURTS THE  BAR CONDI- 
TIONS OF  EARLY  DAYS SKETCHES  OF  OLD-TIME  LAWYERS THE  BAR 

OF  1915^ — CRIMINAL  CASES A  STRAY  INCIDENT 219 


COXTENTS  vii 

CHAPTER  XIV 
THE  MEDICAL  PKOFESSION 

MEDICINE  AX  OLD  I'UOl-ESSION HOME-:\rADE  liEMEDIES CHARACTKli  Ol'' 

THE   PIONEER  DOCTOR HIS   METHODS   OF   TREATMENT^ HARDSHIPS 

OF  FRONTIER  PRACTICE — STANDING  OF  THE  DOCTOR  AS  A  CITIZEN — 
STARK  COUNTY  DOCTORS — BRIEF  SKETCHES  OF  OLD-TIME  PHYSICIANS 
■ — STARK  COUNTY  MEDICAL  SOCIETY — REGISTERED  PHYSICIANS  IN 
191.3.... 236 

CHAPTER  XV 
CHURCH  HISTORY 

DIFFICULTIES  IN  AVRITING  CHURCH  HISTORY — JESUIT  MISSIONARIES — 
THE  METHODISTS — PEORIA  MISSION THE  BAPTISTS THE  PRESBY- 
TERIANS  THE  CONGREGATIONALISTS LATTER  DAY  SAINTS^ — CHRIS- 
TIANS OR  DISCIPLES — THE  UNIVERSALISTS — UNITED  BRETHREN — 
THE  CATHOLICS — HISTORIES  OF  THE  VARIOUS  CONGREGATIONS — 
MISCELLANEOUS    RELIGIOUS   ORGANIZATIONS 240 

CHAPTER  XVI 
SOCIETIES  AND  FRATERNITIES 

MUTUAL  PROTECTION  SOCIETY ITS  AUMS  AND  OBJECTS — AGRICULTURAL 

SOCIETIES    AND    FAIR   ASSOCIATIONS OLD    SETTLERs'    ASSOCIATION — 

THE     LOG     CABIN OLD     SETTLERS'     MONUMENT LETTERS     FROM 

PIONEERS MASONIC   FRATERNITY ORDER  OF  THE  EASTERN   STAR 

INDEPENDENT  ORDER  OF  ODD  FELLOWS — DAUGHTERS  OF  REBEKAH — 
GRAND  ARMY  OF  THE  REPUBLIC — TEMPERANCE  SOCIETIES — MISCEL- 
LANEOUS  SOCIETIES '2C}(> 

CHAPTER  XVII 
MISCELLANEOUS  HISTORY 

PURPOSE  OF  THIS  CHAPTER — FIRST  THINGS — PRICES  AND  AYAGES — LIN- 
COLN AND  DOUGLAS  AT  TOULON — THE   UNDERGROUND   RAILROAD — 

FOUNTAIN    AV ATKINS    TELLS    A    STORY- — A    RESOLUTION THE    FIRST 

POLITICAL  CAMPAIGN INDIAN   RETALIATION HUNTING   IN  EARLY 

DAYS — THE  MORMON  PROPHET — A  POLITICAL  HERO 280 


viii  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  XVIII 
STATISTICAL    REVIEW 

POPULATIOX  AT  EACH  UNITED  STATES  CENSUS — CONSTITUTIONAL  CON- 
VENTIONS— CONGRESSION.VI.  DISTRICTS — GENERAL  ASSE5IBLY — HOW 
STARK  HAS  BEEN  REPRESENTED  IN  THE  LEGISLATURE OEITCIAL  ROS- 
TER— LIST  OF  PUBLIC  OFFICLXXS  SINCE  1839 — VOTE  FOR  PRESIDENT 
AT  EACH  ELECTION  SINCE  1840 — SUMMARY  OF  THE  PRINCIPAL 
E^'ENTS  CONNECTED  WITH  THE  COUNTy's  HISTORY 305 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 
UR6ANA 


J.   KNOX   HALL 


History  of  Stark  County 

CHAPTER  I 
PHYSICAL  FEATURES,  GEOLOGY,  ETC. 

LOCATIOX  AND  BOUNDARIES SURFACE RIVERS  AND  CREEKS GENERAL 

CHARACTER NATIVE  VEGETATION ANIMALS  AND  BIRDS GEOLOGY 

— THE  COAL  MEASURES — SECTIONS  OF  MINING  SHAFTS — EXTENT  OF 
THE  COAL  DEPOSITS— BUILDING  STONE — THE  GLACIAL  EPOCH — HOW 

STARK  COUNTY  AVAS  FORJIED CHARACTER  OF  THE  GLACIAL  DRIFT 

THE  WATER  SUPPLY. 

Stark  County  is  situated  northwest  of  the  center  of  the  state,  its 
western  Hue  being  about  fifty  miles  from  tlie  INIississippi  River  at 
Keithsburg.  and  its  northern  bounthiry  is  eighty-seven  miles  from  the 
\\'isc()nsin  state  line.  On  the  north  it  is  bounded  by  the  counties  of 
Rureau  and  Henry;  on  the  east  l)y  Rureau  and  Marshall  counties; 
on  the  south  by  Peoria  County,  and  on  the  west  by  Knox  and  Heiu-y 
cdunties.  It  embraces  Congressional  townshi])s  12  and  13  north. 
Range  o  east;  townships  12.  l.'i  and  U,  Range  (i;  and  townships  12. 
I. "J  and  14,  Range  7.  As  each  of  these  townships  contains  thirty-six 
square  miles,  the  total  area  of  the  county  is  288  square  miles. 

The  general  surface  of  the  county  is  slightly  undulating,  or  roll- 
ing, except  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Spoon  River  and  at  some  places  along 
Indian  Creek,  where  it  is  more  or  less  broken.  More  than  nine-tenths 
of  the  184.320  acres  responds  easily  to  cultivation,  and  the  remaining 
tenth  is  by  no  means  waste  land,  though  its  cultivation  is  attended 
by  greater  effort.  Natural  drainage  is  afforded  by  the  Spoon  River. 
Indian  and  AValnut  creeks,  Cooper's  Defeat,  Camping  Run,  Jack 
Creek,  ]Mud  Run,  Jug  Run  and  a  number  of  smaller  streams. 

The  Spoon  River  is  composed  of  two  branches.  The  East  Fork 
rises  in  Rureau  County  and  the  West  Fork  in  Henry  County,  the 
former  flowing  in  a  southwesterly  direction  and  the  latter  toward  the 


10  IIISTORV  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

southeast  until  they  form  a  junction  in  the  northeastern  part  of  Tou- 
lon Township,  Stark  Countj'.  From  this  point  the  main  stream  fol- 
lows a  general  southerly  course  through  the  townships  of  Toulon 
and  Essex.  It  finally  empties  into  the  Illinois  River  near  the  town 
of  Havana,  Mason  County.  The  Indian  name  of  this  stream  was 
"]Maquon,"  which  in  the  Pottawatomi  language  means  "Feather," 
certainly  a  more  euphonious  name  than  the  one  adopted  by  the  white 
people. 

Indian  Creek,  the  second  largest  stream  in  the  county,  has  its 
source  not  far  from  the  town  of  Galva,  Henry  County.  It  enters 
Stark  County  about  two  miles  west  of  the  northeast  corner  of  Goshen 
Township,  and  follows  a  general  southeasterly  direction  until  it 
empties  into  the  Spoon  River  a  short  distance  above  the  old  settlement 
known  as  Slackwater.  This  creek  takes  its  name  from  the  fact  that 
when  the  first  white  men  came  to  what  is  now  Stark  County  they 
found  a  few  Indians  living  along  its  banks. 

Walnut  Creek,  so  named  because  of  the  number  of  walnut  trees 
that  once  grew  along  its  course,  rises  near  the  little  village  of  Xekoma, 
Henry  County,  whence  it  flows  southeast  until  it  enters  Stark  County 
a  little  south  of  I^afayette.  Its  course  is  then  almost  south  through 
Goshen  and  West  Jersey  townships  until  it  mingles  its  waters  with 
those  of  the  Spoon  River  in  the  northwestern  part  of  Peoria  County. 

The  creek  known  as  Cooper's  Defeat  begins  in  the  southern  part 
of  Bureau  County.  Its  general  course  is  westward  and  it  finally  emp- 
ties into  the  East  Fork  of  the  Spoon  River  in  the  southwest  corner  of 
Osceola  Township.  About  three  miles  above  its  mouth  it  bends  south- 
ward into  Penn  Township,  where  William  and  Jeremiah  Cooper  were 
frozen  to  death  in  the  severe  snow  storm  just  before  Christmas  in  is:n, 
from  which  incident  the  creek  takes  its  name.  A  further  account  of 
this  event  Avill  be  found  in  another  chapter. 

Some  seven  or  eight  miles  south  of  Coojjer's  Defeat  and  flowing 
in  the  same  general  direction  is  Cam])ing  Rim,  or  Camp  Creek,  as  it 
is  sometimes  called.  It  has  its  beginning  a  short  distance  east  of 
Camp  Grove,  in  INIarshall  County,  and  joins  the  Spoon  River  about 
a  mile  and  a  half  west  of  the  little  village  of  Stark.  Before  the  advent 
of  the  railroad  emigrant  parties  frequently  encamped  in  the  grove 
near  the  headwaters  of  the  creek,  from  which  custom  it  took  its  name. 

Still  farther  south  is  ]Mud  (or  ]Muddy)  Run.  \\hich  rises  in  ^Slar- 
shall  County  and  flows  westAvard  through  the  southern  part  of  Valley 
Township  until  it  empties  into  Camping  Run  about  half  a  mile  from 
the  mouth  of  the  latter.     Its  name  indicates  its  character. 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  11 

Jack  Creek  rises  near  the  western  boundary  of  Elniira  Township 
and  Hows  in  a  southeasterly  direction  througli  that  township  and  Tou- 
lon, finally  falling  into  the  Spoon  River  a  short  distance  below  the 
village  of  JNlodena. 

.Jug  Riui  parallels  the  course  of  Jack  Creek  about  two  miles 
farther  south.  It  is  a  short  stream  and  is  all  in  Toulon  Township. 
Of  the  smaller  streams  the  most  important  are  Fitch  Creek,  which 
rises  in  Knox  County  and  touches  the  northwest  corner  of  Goshen 
Township;  and  Silver  Creek,  a  tributary  of  the  East  Fork  of  the 
Spoon  River  in  the  northeast  corner  of  Osceola  Township. 

GEXEKAh   CIIAKACTEU 

Originally  the  greater  part  of  the  county  was  prairie,  with  groves 
of  timber  interspersed  in  such  a  way  that  none  of  the  prairies  con- 
sisted of  more  than  a  few  square  miles.  The  largest  prairie  was  be- 
tween Cooper's  Defeat  Creek  and  Camping  Run,  in  what  are  now 
Pcmi  and  \'alley  townships.  The  absence  of  timber  \ii)on  the  tracts 
of  land  called  prairies  has  been  the  subject  of  considerable  specula- 
tion among  geologists.  geogra]ihcrs  and  botanists  as  to  the  cause  of  the 
vast,  treeless  plains  in  the  ^Middle  West  and  the  smaller  tracts  of  sim- 
ilar character  in  other  parts  of  the  country.  It  is  a  notable  fact  that 
no  prairies  existed  east  of  the  State  of  Ohio.  Professor  Whitney, 
who  made  .some  observations  on  this  subject,  says: 

"The  cause  of  the  absence  of  trees  on  the  prairies  is  due  to  the  physi- 
cal character  of  the  soil,  and  especially  its  exceeding  fineness,  which  is 
prejudicial  to  the  growth  of  anything  but  a  superficial  vegetation,  the 
smallness  of  the  particles  of  the  soil  being  an  insuperable  barrier  to 
the  necessary  access  of  air  to  the  roots  of  dee])ly-rootcd  vegetation, 
such  as  trees.  \Vherever,  in  the  midst  of  the  extraordinary  tine  soil 
of  the  prairies,  coarse  and  gravelly  patches  exist,  there  dense  forests 
occur." 

Dr.  Charles  A.  White,  who  held  the  office  of  state  geologist  in 
Iowa  for  several  years  in  the  early  '7()s,  made  a  somewhat  extended 
investigation  of  the  subject  and  reached  a  different  conclusion  from 
that  of  Professor  Whitney.  After  calling  attention  to  the  fact  tliat 
])rairies  are  found  resting  uj)on  all  kinds  of  bed  rock,  from  the  Azoic 
to  the  Cretaceous  ages,  and  that  all  kinds  of  soil — alluvial,  drift  and 
lacrustral,  including  sand,  clay,  gravel  and  loam — are  frecinently 
found  upon  the  same  prairie,  he  says: 

"Thus,  whatever  the  origin  of  the  jirairies  might  have  been,  wc  have 


12  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

positive  assurance  that  their  present  existence  is  not  due  to  the  influ- 
ence of  the  chmate,  the  character  or  composition  of  tlie  soil,  nor  to  the 
character  of  any  underlying  formations. 

"There  seems  to  be  no  good  reason  why  we  should  regard  the  for- 
ests as  any  more  natural  or  normal  condition  than  are  the  prairies. 
Indeed  it  seems  the  more  natural  inference  that  the  occupation  of 
the  surface  has  taken  place  by  dispersion  from  original  centers,  and 
that  they  encroached  upon  the  unoccupied  surface  until  they  were 
met  and  checked  by  the  destructive  power  of  fires.  The  prairies 
doubtless  existed  as  such  almost  immediately  after  the  close  of  the 
glacial  epoch." 

Doctor  White's  statement,  that  the  prairies  are  not  due  to  any 
character  or  composition  of  the  soil,  is  borne  out  by  the  fact  that  in 
the  towns  that  have  been  built  up  on  the  prairies,  and  in  the  artificial 
groves  around  many  of  the  farm  houses  in  the  West,  trees  have  grown 
M'ith  as  much  vigor  as  though  the  surface  had  once  been  covered  by  a 
gnjw  th  of  native  timber.  But,  no  matter  how  the  prairies  originated, 
the  pioneers  of  Stark  County  found  upon  them  a  soil — a  dark  loam  in 
.structure — that  \\hen  properly  drained  and  rightly  cultivated  is  unsur- 
passed in  productiveness. 

Along  the  streams  the  first  settlers  foimd  belts  of  timber,  vai'ying 
in  width,  the  principal  varieties  of  native  trees  being  oak,  maple,  lin- 
den, hickory,  black  walnut  and  elm.  Smaller  and  less  important  spe- 
cies were  the  dogwood,  hawthorn,  red  bud.  wild  plum,  crab  apple,  etc. 
The  soil  of  the  timbered  lands  is  lighter  in  color  than  that  of  the  ])rai- 
ries  and  not  so  deep,  but  with  the  right  kind  of  care  and  cultivation  it 
can  be  made  to  produce  excellent  crops. 

Before  the  plow  and  the  spade  of  civilization  disturbed  the  nati\'e 
vegetation  of  the  ])rairies  the  land  was  covered  with  flowers  of  various 
hues.  First  in  im])ortance  was  probably  the  tall  plant  known  as 
"Queen  of  the  prairie,"  which  often  grew  to  a  height  of  six  feet  and 
bore  at  the  top  a  large  cluster  of  flowers  resembling  the  blossoms  of 
the  peach  tree.  Then  there  were  the  white,  yellow  and  ]Hu-])le  lady 
slipper,  the  golden  rod,  the  buttercup,  the  INIay  api)le.  the  blue  bell, 
the  forget-me-not,  several  members  of  the  phlox  family,  the  best 
know  n  of  which  was  the  modest  little  flower  known  as  the  sweet  wil- 
liam.  and  numerous  others,  all  of  which  have  disappeared  except  in 
very  rare  instances. 

Along  the  banks  of  the  streams  and  around  the  ponds  could  be 
found  three  or  four  species  of  water  lilies,  the  cowslip,  the  cat  tail 
and  blue  flags,  various  kinds  of  mint,  etc.    In  the  Avoods  the  wild  mari- 


HISTORY  OF  STxVRK  COUNTY  13 

gold,  tlie  bell  flower,  the  yellow  honey  suckle,  aiieinones,  the  clematis, 
the  trumpet  creeper  and  the  modest  violet  grew  ahuiidantly,  and  some 
of  these  flowers  are  still  to  be  seen  in  a  few  secluded  places,  wjicrc  the 
ravages  of  civilized  man  have  not  yet  encompassed  their  destruction, 
in  the  early  days,  before  the  physician  and  the  drug  store  had 
become  established  institutions,  many  herbs  were  gathered  and  pre- 
served for  their  medicinal  properties.  Foremost  among  these  were 
the  horehound,  boneset,  pennyroyal,  catnip,  wild  garlic,  barberiy,  yel- 
low water  dock,  burdock,  wild  senna,  gentian,  lobelia,  and  a  species  of 
wormwood.  A  i'eA\-  straggling  siJecimens  of  these  plants  may  be  seen, 
but  whei-e  they  once  grew  in  pi'oi'usion  are  now  the  cultivated  fields 
of  the  thrifty  husbandman. 

ANIMALS  AND  lilKIlS 

Time  was  when  the  l)ison.  or  American  I)uff"alo,  roamed  in  great 
berds  over  the  prairies  of  Illinois.  At  several  points  along  the  Spoon 
IJivei-,  within  the  limits  of  Stark  County,  large  quantities  of  the  bones 
of  these  animals  have  !)een  found.  It  is  supposed  that  these  bone 
heaps  are  due  to  the  bufl'aloes  seeking  shelter  in  the  timber  along  the 
river  from  some  violent  storm,  and  that  here  the  whole  herd  perished. 
What  the  storms  failed  to  accomjjlish  toward  the  extinguishment  of 
the  bison  the  rifle  of  the  pioneer  and  the  encroachments  of  civilization 
did  accomplish,  and  they  have  gone,  never  to  return. 

The  Virginia  deer  was  also  once  plentiful  in  what  is  now  Stark 
County  and  venison  formed  a  considerable  jjortion  of  the  meat  sui)i)ly 
for  the  family  of  the  early  settler.  Occasionally  a  black  bear  could 
be  seen  prowling  about  some  frontier  settlement,  but  when  some 
pioneer  "drew  a  bead"  on  him  with  the  long  barreled  rifle  his  tenure  of 
life  was  limited  to  a  few  seconds  at  most,  and  then  the  family  ^^ould 
least  on  bear  meat  for  a  short  season. 

Although  not  so  plentiful  as  the  bufl'alo  or  tlie  deei\  tiie  elk  was 
one  of  the  native  animals  of  the  S])oon  River  \'allev.  The  beaver, 
ottei',  nniik.  raccoon  and  nmskrat  were  the  best  known  of  the  fur- 
bearing  animals  and  in  early  days  were  tra])ped  in  large  numbei's  for 
the  revenue  that  their  skins  woidd  bring.  The  beaver  and  otter  have 
joined  the  bufi^alo,  bear,  deer  and  elk  in  oblivion  and  oidy  on  r;u-e 
occasions  are  any  of  the  others  to  be  seen. 

Among  the  predatory  animals,  or  beasts  of  ])rey,  the  prairie  and 
timber  wolf,  the  lynx,  the  pantbei-.  the  catamomit.  the  wildcat,  the 
grav  and  red  fox  were  those  most  common.     Of  these  the  wolves  were 


14  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUXTY 

probably  tbe  most  troublesome.  In  JNlarcb,  IH^J',  the  county  com- 
missioners offered  a  bounty  of  $1  for  the  scalp  of  each  big  wolf  and 
;50  cents  for  that  of  each  prairie  wolf  "six  months  old  killed  in  Stark 
County  during  the  year  1844."  As  late  as  December  18,  1884,  a  large 
wolf  was  killed  a  few  miles  west  of  Toulon,  and  on  ^Nlay  23,  188.3,  the 
county  clerk  paid  E.  H.  Bates,  of  Osceola,  $24  on  fourteen  young 
wolf  scalps.  There  are  still  living  in  the  county  jjersons  who  can 
I'emember  how,  when  they  were  children,  they  were  wont  to  cuddle 
more  closely  together  in  their  beds  as  the  mournful  howl  of  some  wolf, 
engaged  upon  his  nightly  foraging  expedition,  came  to  their  ears  in 
the  lonely  cabin  on  the  frontier. 

Other  wild  animals  that  were  common  in  the  early  days  were  the 
IMaryland  marmot — commonly  called  the  woodchuck  or  ground  hog — 
the  rabbit,  which  is  still  found  in  considerable  mmibers,  several  species 
of  squirrels,  the  skunk,  the  opossum,  the  weasel  and  a  few  others. 
The  gray  squirrel,  the  striped  and  spotted  prairie  squirrel  have  dis- 
api)eared  aTul  the  other  varieties  are  found  only  in  limited  numbers 
compared  with  former  years. 

In  October,  1867,  Robert  Church  killed  an  American  eagle  near 
the  bridge  over  Indian  Creek  on  the  road  leading  from  Toulon  to 
Lafayette.  The  bird  was  a  magnificent  specimen,  measuring  seven 
feet  from  tip  to  tip  of  its  wings.  So  far  as  can  be  learned  this  M'as 
the  last  eagle  killed  in  the  county,  where  the  bald  eagle  was  once  (piite 
common  and  occasionally  the  golden  eagle  cotild  be  seen.  Closely 
allied  to  the  eagle  in  habits,  but  much  smaller,  are  the  hawks,  several 
s|)ecies  of  which  were  once  quite  nmnerous  in  Stark  County.  Those 
best  known  were  the  pigeon  hawk,  the  sparrow  hawk.  Cooper's,  the 
sharp-shinned,  the  red-tailed  and  the  swallow-tailed  hawks,  while  the 
fish  hawk,  the  red  shouldered  hawk  and  the  marsh  hawk  were  more  rare. 

Of  the  owls,  the  most  common  was  the  ordinary  screech  owl. 
Next  was  the  barred  or  barn  owl.  The  long  and  short  eared,  the 
great  horned  owl  and  the  snowy  owl  were  to  be  seen  in  the  smaller 
numbers,  the  last  named  being  rather  rare. 

Game  birds,  or  birds  used  for  food,  were  abundant.  The  wild 
turkey,  several  species  of  wild  ducks,  the  wild  goose,  the  loon  and  the 
gull  Mere  the  largest  of  such  fowl,  though  some  of  the  smaller  varieties 
made  u])  in  numbers  what  they  lacked  in  size.  The  most  familiar  of 
this  class  were  the  prairie  chicken  and  some  other  members  of  the 
grouse  family,  the  quail,  the  snipe,  of  which  tliere  were  several  kinds, 
the  plover,  and  last,  but  not  least  in  importance,  the  passenger  pigeon. 
Prior  to  187o  great  flocks  of  wild  pigeons  numbering  thousands  of 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  15 

birds  would  pass  over  the  county  during  the  migratory  seasons.  At 
night  they  wouhl  pause  to  roost  in  some  forest  and  would  perch  upon 
the  rimhs  of  the  trees  in  such  numbers  that  often  branches  several 
inches  in  diameter  would  give  wav  under  the  weight.  Those  were  red- 
letter  days  for  the  sportsman  and  the  birds  were  killed  by  hundreds, 
merely  for  the  sport  of  the  killing.  In  the  early  '70s  the  size  of  the 
flocks  began  to  diminisli  and  a  few  years  later  the  ])assenger  pigeon 
disappeared  altogether.  The  question  has  l)een  asked  many  times 
where  they  went  or  what  became  of  them,  as  they  have  not  been  heard 
from  anywliere.    Their  disappearance  is  still  shrouded  in  mystery. 

Other  birds  once  seen  here  in  considerable  numbers  that  are  now 
entirely  extinct  or  exceedingly  rare  were  the  turkey  buzzard,  the 
C'aroliit*  parrot,  the  whippoorwill,  the  cuckoo,  the  crane,  the  heron, 
the  common  crow,  the  tintle  dove  and  quite  a  number  of  song  birds, 
such  as  the  thrush,  the  finch  family,  several  species  of  warblers,  the 
oriole,  etc.  Then  tliei'e  were  the  swallows,  of  which  there  were  several 
kinds,  the  bunting,  the  little  wren,  the  titmouse,  the  chickadee,  the 
native  sparrows,  the  red  throated  humming  bird,  the  meadow  lark, 
the  nuthatch,  the  fly  catcher,  the  jn'airie  skylark,  the  pewee,  the  blue 
bird  and  some  others  that  have  entirely  (lisa])peared  or  are  extremely 
rare.  The  ax,  the  plow  and  the  scythe  destroyed  many  of  their 
accustomed  haunts  and  drove  them  to  seek  other  (piarters,  and  the 
pugnacious,  worthless  English  sparrow  has  added  to  the  destructive 
work  of  man  in  driving  out  many  of  the  native  birds.  The  wood- 
pecker, the  l)lack  bird  and  the  uliiquitous  lilue  jay  are  still  seen  in  the 
county,  but  in  smaller  numbers  tlian  formerly,  and  on  rare  occasions 
some  of  the  other  species  mentioned  above  are  to  be  met  with,  as 
thougli  they  had  returned  to  mourn  over  the  scenes  of  their  l)y-gone 
ha])piness.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  greater  and  timely  protection 
was  not  given  to  the  song  ])irds  and  insect-eating  varieties,  which 
could  have  done  so  much  toward  adding  to  the  cheerfulness  of  the 
liiiiiian  familj'  and  the  protection  of  the  farmers'  crops. 

GEOLOGY 

Although  America  is  called  the  Xew  ^Vorld,  geologists  believe 
that  it  is  older  than  any  of  the  continents  of  the  Eastern  Hemis])here. 
P]-ofessor  Agassiz  says:  "Here  Avas  the  first  dry  land  lifted  out  of 
the  waters;  here  the  first  shores  were  Avashed  by  the  ocean  that  en- 
velo])ed  all  the  earth  besides;  and  while  Europe  was  represented  onlv 
by  islands   rising  here  and  there   above  the   sea,   America  already 


16  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

stretched  in  one  unbroken  line  of  dry  land  from  Nova  Scotia  to  the 
far  West." 

It  is  not  witliin  the  province  of  a  history  such  as  tliis  to  discuss  the 
methods  by  which  geok)gists  readied  this  conclusion,  but  other  eminent 
autliorities,  as  well  known  in  scientific  circles  as  Professor  Agassiz, 
are  inclined  to  favor  the  same  theory  regarding  the  age  of  the  conti- 
nent upon  which  we  live.  If  their  hypothesis  be  correct.  Stark  County 
may  have  been  the  home  of  the  creatures  of  the  reptilian  type  belong- 
ing to  the  Jura-Trias  and  Cretaceous  eras,  while  the  so-called  Old 
World  was  still  under  water. 

The  first  official  geological  survey  of  the  conditions  existing  in 
Stark  County  was  made  by  H.  A.  Green,  under  the  auspices  of  the 
state  geological  survey,  and  published  in  the  report  for  1870.  ]Mr. 
Green  found  in  his  investigations  that  all  the  stratified  rocks  of  the 
county  belong  to  the  Coal  INIeasures,  including  all  the  lower  portion 
of  the  series  from  coal  No.  7  to  coal  Xo.  2,  inclusive.  Coal  Xo.  7  was 
observed  in  only  a  few  places,  the  most  notable  of  which  was  in  section 
10,  township  14,  range  7,  where  S.  C.  Francis  was  engaged  in  oper- 
ating a  mine  near  the  east  fork  of  the  Spoon  River.  A  section  of 
the  shaft  at  this  mine,  as  given  by  Mr.  Green,  shows  the  following 
formation : 

Ft.  In. 

Yellow  clay 2 

Red  sand 2 

Xodular  limestone 2  4 

Light  colored  clay G  10 

Clay  shale 2 

Sandstone   8 

Blue  clay  shale 4  2 

Sandstone   1  4 

Blue  clay  shale 8 

Dark  clay  shale 5  8 

Coal  ...". ■    2 

Blue  clay  shale 12 

Impure  limestone 3 

Clay  shale 8 

Impure  limestone 2 

Blue  clay  shale 1  4 

Dark  clav  shale 3 

Coal  ..." 2  7 

Depth  of  shaft 62  6 


HISTOKV  OF  STAKK  COUNTY  17 

Concerning  the  product  of  this  mine  and  the  coal  deposits  in  the 
vicinity,  Mr.  Green  says:  "Tliis  coal  appears  to  occupy  the  ])osition 
of  coal  No.  7,  and  prohal)ly  l»eh)ngs  to  that  seam.  The  coal  worked 
at  the  Bradford  shaft,  which  is  hut  a  short  distance  from  here,  in 
section  21,  is  thought  to  he  some  thirty  or  forty  feet  helow,  and  is 
probahly  No.  G." 

With  regard  to  the  coal  deposits  in  general  his  report  says :  "Stark 
County  has  an  abundant  supply  of  coal,  which  is  at  present  derived 
mainly  from  coal  No.  i>.  It  crops  out  along  the  West  Fork  in  JOImii-a 
Township,  along  the  Spoon  River  in  Toulon,  at  intervals  for  about 
twenty  miles,  and  can  i)robably  be  found  and  worked  along  the 
streams  and  their  tributaries  for  the  entire  distance.  This  coal  varies 
in  thickness  from  2I/2  to  6  feet,  seldom  reaching  the  extreme,  but 
averaging  from  3\->  to  .)  feet.  Immense  quantities  of  coal  have  been 
taken  from  this  seam  at  its  outcrops  along  the  diff'erent  streams.  In 
Osceola  Township  one  shaft  has  been  sunk  near  the  East  Fork,  and 
several  others  are  pai'tially  completed.  Shafts  have  also  been  sunk 
at  ]Modena.  near  Wyoming,  in  Toulon  Township  and  at  Cox's  Mill 
in  Essex  Township." 

That  was  wi'itten  in  1870.  Since  then  several  new  developments 
have  been  made  in  the  mining  industry.  Coal  No.  (i  is  the  ])i'inci])al 
seam  worked  in  the  county.  It  first  appears  in  the  bluffs  along  the 
West  Fork,  in  the  southeast  part  of  section  .'}.  townshij)  14,  range  0. 
From  that  point  to  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  10,  in  the  same 
township  and  range,  it  has  been  worked  at  intervals  along  the  west 
side  of  the  stream.  In  section  16  a  number  of  openings  have  been 
made  and  considerable  quantities  of  coal  have  been  taken  out.  Here 
the  coal  crops  out  of  the  bluff,  some  ten  or  fifteen  feet  above  the  level 
of  the  creek.  The  seam  nms  from  fom-  to  five  feet  thick,  with  a  clay 
parting  of  about  two  inches  near  the  middle.  No.  0  seam  is  also 
worked  at  what  is  kno\\n  as  the  Bradford  shaft,  located  on  the  east 
side  of  the  East  Fork  in  section  28,  township  14,  range  7.  The  shaft 
here  shows  as  follows: 

Ft.  In. 

Yellow  elaj' .'J 

Limestone 4 

I^ight  colored  clay 4  6 

IJght  colored  clay  shale 8  4 

Limestone 2  4 

Clay  shale 9  10 

Coal 2 


18  IIISTOKV  OF  STARK  COUXTV 

Soft  black  slate  (fossiliferous) 4 

Clay 4  5 

Sandstone 22  2 

Clay  shale 0 

limestone 4 

Light  colored  clay  shale 6 

Green  clay  shale 2  4 

Dark  clay  shale 3  2 

Impure  limestone 1  6 

Dark  clay  shale 2  6 

Coal  (with  3-inch  clay  parting) 4 

Depth  of  shaft 88  7 

At  IModena  the  vein  ranges  from  41/.'  to  .jl/  feet  in  thickness  and 
is  rarely  more  than  thirty  feet  below  the  surface.  Coal  has  also  been 
noted  in  the  bed  of  Jack  Creek,  in  section  4,  township  13,  range  6, 
where  some  of  the  deposits  have  been  worked  a  little.  In  sections  2. 
11  and  12,  of  the  same  township  and  range,  a  short  distance  south  of 
jNIodena,  the  coal  crojjs  out  along  the  bluff  from  eight  to  ten  feet  above 
the  bed  of  the  creek  and  several  mines  were  in  operation  in  this  part 
of  the  county  at  the  time  of  IMr.  Green's  sur^'ey. 

According  to  Green,  coal  Xo.  4  is  found  at  only  one  place  in  the 
county,  viz:  in  section  19,  township  12.  range  .5.  near  Walnut  Creek, 
about  two  miles  southwest  of  the  "N'illage  of  ^Vest  Jersey.  Here  he 
found  a  vein  of  coal  41/.  feet  in  thickness,  below  which  was  a  layer 
of  impure  cannel  coal,  varying  from  six  to  ten  inches  in  thickness  and 
containing  the  fossil  remains  of  plants  and  fishes.  The  vein  of  No.  4 
coal  at  this  point  is  only  about  fifteen  feet  below  the  surface.  Fur- 
ther mention  of  the  coal  deposits  and  their  develoiMiient  will  be  found 
in  the  chapter  on  Finance  and  Industry. 

BUILDING    STONE 

When  INIr.  Green  visited  the  county  in  his  geological  research  in 
1870,  he  found  only  a  small  quantity  of  building  stone  of  value.  The 
best  deposit  of  limestone  worked  at  that  time  was  in  the  quarries  in 
sections  21-22,  township  14,  range  7.  a  short  distance  northwest  of 
Bradford.  This  he  pronounced  the  largest  bed  exposed  anvwhere  in 
the  countv,  being  from  six  to  twelve  feet  thick,  but  in  thin  ledges, 


I 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUXTV  19 

none  of  which  was  over  six  inches  thick.  The  stone  from  this  (iiiarry 
is  of  a  light  drab  coh)r,  conij)act  and  of  even  textnre,  moderately  hard 
and  stands  exposure  to  tlie  weather.  It  can  be  l)urned  into  a  lime 
suitable  for  masonry,  but  too  dark  in  color  to  be  used  for  plastering. 
Near  the  Spoon  River,  in  section  14,  township  1"2,  range  G,  jNlr. 
Green  found  a  deposit  of  sandstone  which  he  considered  the  best  in 
the  county.  About  three  miles  west  of  this,  in  section  17  and  near 
Inilian  Creek,  he  found  another  sandstone  deposit,  \\hich  furnishes  a 
fair  ([uality  of  building  material.  An  old  house  near  the  quarry,  con- 
structed of  this  stone,  shows  that  the  weather  has  l)ut  little  effect 
upon  it  after  years  of  exposure.  Another  bed  of  sandstone  is  in  sec- 
tion 20,  township  12,  range  5,  near  ^Valnut  Creek;  a  soft  sandstone 
exists  in  considerable  quantities  in  section  Ki,  township  14,  range  (i, 
and  a  better  quality  is  found  in  section  13,  township  13,  range  6,  but 
neither  of  these  deposits  has  been  worked  to  any  extent.  The  thick 
vein  of  sandstone  (22  feet  (J  niches)  in  tiie  Jiradford  coal  mine  could 
be  used  for  building  purposes,  but  the  fact  that  it  lies  from  thiity-five 
to  i'orty  feet  below  the  surface  has  prevented  its  develoi)ment. 

THE    GLACIAL    El'Ot'U 

Far  back  in  the  geologic  past,  while  the  coal  beds  of  Stark  County 
were  in  j^rocess  of  formation,  the  siu'face  was  probably  one  vast  marsh 
covered  with  tangled  masses  of  vegetation  and  inhabited  only  by 
reptiles.  ^Vbout  the  close  of  the  Tertiary  period  came  the  I'leistocene 
or  "Ice  Age,"  during  which  the  upper  Mississippi  Valley  was  covered 
l)y  one  vast  sheet  of  ice  called  a  glacier.  This  glacier  extended  from 
tile  country  about  the  (ireat  Lakes  to  the  Rocky  ^lountains  on  the 
west,  and  southward  to  about  the  latitude  of  St.  Louis.  It  was  formed 
in  the  northern  part  of  the  continent  by  successive  falls  of  snow,  each 
of  wliich  added  to  the  weight  of  the  great  mass  liclow  until  it  was 
compressed  into  one  solid  body  of  ice.  After  many  years  of  the 
formative  process,  a  change  in  tlie  tenqicrature  started  the  glacier  to 
moving  slowly  soutliward,  carrying  with  it  great  bow  Idcrs.  clays,  soils, 
etc..  to  be  deposited  u])on  the  bed  rocks  of  a  region  i'ar  distant  from 
that  where  they  were  first  placed  by  the  hand  of  nature.  As  the 
huge  mass  moved  slowly  along,  the  bowlders  and  other  hard  sub- 
stances at  the  bottom  of  the  glacier  left  scratches  (called  stri;e  In-  the 
geologists)  u])f)n  the  bed  rocks,  and  from  these  markings  the  course 
of  the  glacier  can  be  determintd  w  Itli  a  fair  degree  of  accuracy.  Ex- 
aminations of  the  stria'  at  various  places  in  the  IMississippi  Vallev, 


20  HISTOKV  or  STARK  COUXTY 

where  the  bed  rock  is  exposed,  show  that  the  general  direction  followed 
by  the  great  central  glacier  was  toward  the  southeast. 

-(\.s  the  ice  melted  in  the  warmer  latitude,  the  materials  carried  by 
the  glacier  Aiere  deposited  upon  the  bed  rock  in  the  form  of  drift, 
composed  of  till,  loess  and  alluvium.  It  was  through  this  method 
that  the  great  swamp  above  mentioned  underwent  a  change.  At  the 
close  of  the  Pleistocene  the  earth's  surface,  over  which  the  glacier  had 
])assc(l.  was  void  of  either  animal  or  vegetable  life.  In  time  the  action 
of  tile  rain  and  wind  gradually  leveled  the  surface,  the  heat  from  the 
sun  warmed  it,  and  life  in  the  most  primitive  forms  made  its 
appearance. 

l"V)r  the  rich  heritage  of  soil  in  Stark  County,  the  region  is  indebted 
to  the  great  glacier  that  once  overflowed  the  country.  In  its  slow 
mai-ch  it  ground  up  the  rocks  over  which  it  passed,  mixed  the  fresh 
rock  flour  with  the  granites  of  British  America  and  Northern  jNIinne- 
sota,  with  the  pulverized  limestones  and  shales  of  the  more  southern 
latitudes,  and  de2)osited  these  materials  upon  the  rocks  of  earlier 
geologic  periods.  Everywhere  the  soil  is  the  product  of  rock  disinte- 
gration. In  Stark  County  the  glacial  drift  is  from  twenty  to  sixty 
feet  deep,  giving  it  one  of  the  most  fertile  soils  in  the  state. 

It  was  through  the  action  of  the  glacier  that  the  surface  of  Xorth- 
ern  Illinois  was  formed.  At  the  edge  of  the  glacier,  as  it  moved 
forA\ai-<l.  it  left  a  ridge  called  a  "lateral  moraine."  Where  two  glacial 
bodies  came  together  a  larger  ridge  running  parallel  to  the  stria^  was 
formed  and  is  called  a  "median  moraine."  At  the  terminus  of  the  ice 
sheet,  where  all  the  remaining  solid  materials  carried  by  the  glacier 
were  deposited,  the  ridge  thus  formed  is  known  as  the  "terminal 
moraine."  As  no  evidences  of  a  moi-aine  of  any  kind  have  been 
noticed  in  Stark  County,  it  is  almost  certain  that  tliis  portion  of 
Illinois  was  in  the  heart  of  the  glacier,  an  indication  that  is  furtlier 
borne  out  by  the  almost  uniform  thickness  of  the  drift  when  comjnired 
with  those  parts  of  the  country  where  the  moraines  are  known  to  exist. 

CHARACTER    OF   THE    DRIIT 

At  the  bottom  of  the  glacial  deposits  lies  the  till — called  by  some 
geologists  the  lower  till — composed  of  a  blue  clay  or  a  dark  shale, 
charged  with  liowlders  and  sometimes  mixed  with  sand.  This  till  is 
seen  in  the  strata  immediately  overlying  the  Coal  Pleasures,  as  shown 
by  the  sections  of  shafts  given  in  the  preceding  pages. 

The  loess  is  a  fine  ash-colored  silt,  or  a  porous  clay,  rich  in  carbon- 


IIISTOKV   OF  STARK  COrXTV  21 

ate  of  lime.  Tliis  substance  was  (lei)()site(l  very  irregularly  and  so 
far  as  known  no  deposits  of  it  have  been  found  in  Stark  County. 

Above  tb.e  loess  conies  the  alluvium  or  .soil,  which  is  made  up  of 
the  lighter  materials  cariied  i)y  the  glacier,  to  which  has  been  added  a 
large  volume  of  decayed  vegetable  matter  that  has  accumulated  since 
the  close  of  the  glacial  epoch.  As  this  portion  of  the  drift  constitutes 
the  surface,  and  is  seen  everywhere  in  Stark  County,  it  is  too  well 
known  to  requii-e  further  description. 

The  bowldeis  cuinnionly  called  "nigger  heads"  that  may  be  seen 
in  greater  or  less  numbers  in  all  parts  of  the  state,  are  uiuiuestionably 
of  glacial  origin.  They  are  of  a  different  texture  from  the  bed  rock,  a 
fact  that  sustains  the  theory  that  they  are  foreign  to  this  part  of  the 
country.  IMost  of  them  are  found  below  the  surface,  but  those  left 
u[)()ii  the  higher  portions  of  the  glacial  deposits  have  remained  where 
they  can  still  be  seen,  the  lighter  materials  of  the  alluvium  having 
been  deposited  around  them  without  disturbing  their  resting  places. 

THE    WATER    SUPPLY 

There  are  but  comparatively  few  natural  springs  in  the  county. 
]Most  of  the  wells  derive  their  svqjply  of  water  from  veins  in  the  drift. 
only  a  few  of  them  penetrating  to  the  Coal  ^Measiu'cs.  The  deepest 
well  in  the  county  is  the  one  at  Toulon,  from  which  the  town's  water 
'su])]ily  is  taken.  It  is  over  fourteen  hundred  feet  in  de])th.  A  further 
descrijjtion  of  it,  as  well  as  of  the  wells  at  Wyoming  and  Bradford, 
will  be  found  in  connection  with  the  history  of  those  towns. 


CHAPTER  II 
ABORIGINAL  IXIIABITANTS 

MOUND  BUILDERS — I'lKST  NOTICE  OF  MOUNDS  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES— 
CHAKACTER  AND  STRUCTURE  OF  THE  MOUNDS EARLY  INVESTIGA- 
TIONS AND  THEORIES WORK  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  ETHNOLOGY DIS- 
TRICTS IN  THE  UNITED  STATES WHO  WERE  THE  MOUND  BUILDERS- 
MORE  THEORIES — RELICS  IN  THE  COUNTY  OF  STARK — ADAMS  AND 
SHALLENBERGER's  A\'(niK. 

Yov  nearly  a  ccntui-y  and  a  half  after  the  first  white  settlements 
were  made  along  the  Atlantic  coast,  in  what  is  now  the  United  States, 
the  general  belief  was  that  the  Indian  tribes  found  here  by  the  first 
Europeans  were  the  t)riginal  inhabitants  of  the  country.  Then  evi- 
dences were  discovered  in  the  interior  of  the  continent  that  led  arch- 
aeologists to  believe  that  the  great  valleys  of  the  Ohio  and  ^Mississippi 
rivers  had  once  been  occupied  by  a  peculiar  race  of  people  entirely 
separate  and  distinct  from  the  Indian.  These  evidences  were  found 
in  the  numerous  mounds  and  earthworks,  fragments  of  pottery,  stone 
implements,  weapons,  etc.  A  report  issued  by  the  United  States 
Bureau  of  Ethnology  says : 

"During  a  period  beginning  some  time  after  the  close  of  the  Ic« 
Age  and  ending  with  the  coming  of  the  \\'hite  man — or  only  a  few 
years  before — the  central  part  of  North  ^Vmerica  was  inhabited  by  a 
people  who  had  emerged  to  some  extent  from  the  darkness  of  sav- 
agery, had  acquired  certain  domestic  arts,  and  practiced  some  well 
defined  lines  of  industry.  The  location  and  boundaries  inhabited  by 
them  are  fairly  well  marked  by  tlie  mounds  and  earthworks  they 
erected." 

The  center  of  this  ancient  civilization — if  such  it  may  be  called  — 
seems  to  have  been  in  the  present  State  of  Ohio,  where  the  mounds 
and  relics  are  more  mmierous  than  in  any  other  part  of  the  country, 
though  Illinois  was  well  Avithin  the  confines  of  the  domain  once  occu- 
])ied  by  this  peculiar  race,  to  which  the  name  of  "IMound  Builders" 
has  been  given  by  archaeologists,  and  various  theories  have  been  ad- 

22 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  C'OUXTV  23 

vaiiced  conceniing-  tlieir  origin,  identity  and  tlie  manner  in  wliieli  llu-y 
became  extinct. 

It  may  be  interesting  to  the  reader  to  know  something  of  these 
theories  regarding  tiie  31onnd  RniUlers,  as  well  as  something  of  the 
character  of  the  works  they  constructed,  ^lost  of  the  monnds  are  of 
conical  form,  varying  in  height,  and  when  opened  they  have  nsnally 
been  fomid  to  contain  human  skeletons.  For  this  reason  they  have 
lieeii  designated  by  ai'chaeologists  as  bui'ial  mounds.  Next  to  the 
burial  mound  comes  the  truncated  pyi'amid — that  is,  a  mound  scjuare 
or  lectangular  at  the  base  and  tlattened  at  the  top.  ^lounds  ol'  this 
class  ai'c  nearly  always  higher  than  the  highest  of  the  burial  mounds 
and  u})on  the  top  of  several  such  mounds  charcoal  has  been  found. 
The  greater  heigiit  and  the  charcoal  gave  rise  to  the  theory  that  they 
were  used  as  lookout  or  signal  stations,  upon  the  top  of  ^vhich  signal 
Mres  had  once  been  lighted. 

In  some  sections  of  the  country  can  still  be  seen  well  defined  lines 
of  earthworks,  sometimes  in  the  foi-m  of  a  scjuare,  but  more  often  of 
oval  or  circular  shape,  bearing  every  indication  of  having  been  erected 
as  ])laces  of  defense  against  hostile  invaders.  Still  another  class  of 
works,  less  numerous  and  widely  separated,  consists  of  one  large 
mound  surrounded  by  an  embankment,  outside  of  which  are  a  number 
of  smaller  mounds.  In  such  groups  the  smaller  mounds  are  nearly 
always  devoid  of  human  bones  or  other  relics,  and  even  the  larger 
mound  within  the  end)ankment  yields  l)ut  few  relics.  The  absence  of 
skeletons,  implements,  weapons,  etc.,  and  the  arrangement  of  the 
mounds  in  works  of  this  nature  have  led  anticiuarians  to  form  the 
theory  that  they  were  centers  of  sacrifice  or  religious  ceremonies  of 
some  character. 

Xot  for  years  after  the  mounds  were  first  noticed  was  anv  svs- 
tematic  investigation  of  the  origin  made.  The  earliest  persons  to 
examine  the  mounds  were  Squier  and  Davis,  who,  about  18.)(),  pub- 
lished a  work  entitled  "Ancient  JNIonuments  of  the  Mississippi  Val- 
ley." Between  the  years  184.5  and  1848  these  two  archaeologists, 
working  together,  explored  over  two  hundred  mounds  and  other  earth- 
works, the  description  of  which  was  published  by  the  Smithsonian 
Institution.  Following  them  came  Baldwin,  INIcLcan  and  a  number 
f  others,  ])ractica]ly  all  of  whom  held  to  the  theory  that  the  Mound 
Builders  belonged  to  a  scjnirate  and  distinct  race  and  that  many  of  the 
relics  were  of  great  antiquity. 

Some  of  these  early  writers  on  the  subject  took  the  view  that  the 
^lound  Builders  first  established  their  civilization  in  the  Ohio  Vallev, 


o 


24  lllSTORV  OF  STARK  COUNTY 


from  which  region  they  gradually  moved  toward  the  southwest  into 
^Mexico  and  Central  America,  where  the  white  man  found  their  de- 
scendants in  the  Aztec  Indians.  Otliers,  with  arguments  equally 
plausible,  contended  that  the  people  who  left  these  interesting  relics 
oriuinated  in  the  Soutii  and  slowly  made  their  way  northward  to  the 
country  about  the  Great  Lakes,  where  they  were  met  and  driven  back 
by  hostile  tribes.  Upon  only  one  phase  of  the  subject  were  these 
early  authors  in  accord,  and  that  was  that  the  JNIound  Builders  consti- 
tuted a  very  ancient  and  extinct  race.  This  theory  was  sustained  by 
the  fact  that  the  Indian  tribes  with  whom  the  first  white  men  came  in 
contact  had  no  traditions  relating  to  the  mounds  or  tlie  people  who 
built  them,  while  the  claim  of  great  antiquity  was  supported  by  the 
i-reat  trees,  often  several  feet  in  diameter,  that  were  found  growing 
upon  the  mounds  and  earthworks. 

Shortly  after  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Ethnology  was  estab- 
lished it  undertook  the  work  of  making  an  exhaustive  and  scientific 
investigation  of  the  mounds  and  other  relics  left  by  the  Mound 
Builders.  Cyrus  Thomas,  who  had  charge  of  this  branch  of  ethnolog- 
ical research,  in  his  analysis  and  comi)ilation  of  the  information  col- 
lected, has  divided  the  region  once  inhabited  by  the  JNIound  Builders 
into  eight  districts,  each  of  mIucIi  is  marked  by  certain  features  not 
common  to  the  others.  In  making  this  division  ^Nlr.  Thunuis  evidently 
did  not  adhere  to  any  of  the  theories  advanced  as  to  the  origin  or  first 
location  of  the  ancient  people,  as  he  begins  in  the  northwestern  part 
of  the  country  and  proceeds  toward  the  south  and  east.  His  districts 
are  as  follows : 

1.  The  Dakota  District,  which  includes  North  and  South  Dakota. 
INIinnesota,  the  northwest  corner  of  Iowa  and  the  State  of  Wisconsin. 
In  this  district  the  chief  objects  of  interest  to  the  archaeologists  are 
the  beautiful  efiigy  mounds,  constructed  in  the  form  of  some  bird  or 
animal.  Wisconsin  is  especially  rich  in  mounds  of  this  class.  Near 
the  Town  of  Prairieville  is  a  mound  resembling  a  turtle,  fifty-six  feet 
in  length,  and  not  far  from  the  Town  of  Blue  INIounds  is  a  mound 
120  feet  long  representing  a  man  lying  on.  his  back.  Some  writers  are 
of  the  opinion  that  the  effigy  mounds  were  made  to  represent  the  totem 
of  some  tribe  or  clan,  and  others  think  they  are  the  images  of  some 
living  creature  that  Avas  an  object  of  veneration. 

2.  The  Huron-Iroquois  District  takes  its  name  from  the  country 
comprising  the  district,  which  was  once  inhabited  by  the  Huron  and 
Iroquois  Indians.  This  district  includes  the  lower  peninsula  of  INIich- 
igan.  the  southern  part  of  Canada,  a  strij)  across  the  northern  part  of 


HISTORY   OF  STARK  COUNTY  25 

Ohio  ami  the  greater  portion  of  the  State  of  ]S'ew  York.  Xear  Toledo 
and  Sandusky,  Ohio,  a  few  well  defined  fortifications  have  been  ob- 
served, but  by  far  the  greater  i)art  of  the  relics  are  the  small  burial 
mounds  and  tiie  "hut  rings,"  small  circular  embankments,  whicii  are 
supposed  to  have  been  the  foundations  of  ancient  dwellings. 

3.  The  Illinois  District  embraces  the  middle  and  eastern  portions 
of  Iowa,  Northeastern  INlissouri,  Northern  Illinois  and  the  western 
half  of  Indiana.  That  part  of  Illinois  lying  within  this  district  in- 
cludes about  two-thirds  oJ"  the  state.  Stark  County  lies  within  this 
district,  in  whicli  the  l)urial  mounds  are  cjuite  numerous  and  a  few 
fortifications  have  been  found,  but  they  are  greatly  inferior,  both  in 
size  and  the  manner  of  construction,  to  those  of  the  Ohio  District.  In 
the  southern  part  of  the  district  several  mounds  of  the  truncated 
pyramid  variety  have  been  found,  the  great  mound  near  Cahokia 
being  one  of  the  finest  examples  of  this  class  known  to  students  of 
American  archaeology. 

4.  The  Ohio  District  takes  in  all  of  the  State  of  Ohio,  except  the 
strip  across  the  northern  ])art.  which  is  included  in  District  No.  2,  the 
eastern  half  of  Indiana  and  the  southwestern  part  of  West  Virginia. 
Here  the  Mound  Builder  evidently  flourished  in  all  his  glory.  Burial 
mounds  ai-e  larger  and  more  numerous  than  in  any  other  part  of  the 
country,  many  of  them  having  a  diameter  of  one  lumdi'cd  feet  or  more 
and  rising  to  the  height  of  sixty  or  eighty  feet.  JNIore  than  ten  thcni- 
sand  mounds  have  been  explored  in  the  State  of  Ohio  alone.  The 
(irave  Creek  Mound,  in  West  Virginia,  is  one  of  the  largest  lookout 
or  signal  mounds  yet  discovered.  The  earthworks  of  this  district 
sur])ass  those  of  all  the  others.  The  "(ireat  Seriient."  a  fortification 
in  tile  I'orm  of  a  snake,  is  situated  on  a  blufi'  in  ^Vdams  County,  Ohio. 
It  is  nearly  fourteen  iiundred  feet  long  and  is  one  of  the  best  pre- 
served and  most  ])erfect  specimens  of  the  Mound  Builders'  fortifica- 
tions. Its  site  has  recently  been  pin-chased  by  the  state  in  order  that 
the  ancient  fort  may  be  kept  intact.  Near  Anderson,  Indiana,  is  a 
circular  fortification,  with  a  lookout  mound  inside  the  embankment. 
A  peculiar  feature  of  tliis  woi-k  is  a  subterranean  ])assage  leading  to 
the  ^Vhite  River,  some  three  hundred  feet  distant,  indicating  that  the 
work  had  been  constructed  with  a  view  to  obtaining  a  snp])lv  of  water 
in  the  event  of  a  siege. 

.5.  The  Appalachian  District  takes  its  name  from  the  mountains 
included  within  its  borders.  It  embraces  East  Tennessee,  the  south- 
western part  of  Virginia.  "Western  North  Carolina  and  Northern 
(ieorgia.      Throughout   this   district   abundant   evide?ices   have   been 


26  HISTORY  OF  STxVKK  COUNTY 

found  to  show  that  the  inliabitants  were  in  many  respects  different 
from  those  of  the  other  districts.  The  mounds  are  differently  con- 
structed; stone  graves  are  numerous;  copper  awls,  needles,  knives  and 
othei'  utensils  have  been  found;  tobacco  pipes  made  of  clay  and  baked, 
and  some  pipes  carved  fioni  a  pecidiar  kind  of  stone  are  among  the 
relics  found  here. 

6.  The  Tennessee  District,  which  adjoins  the  Appalachian  on  the 
west,  includes  the  southern  third  of  Illinois,  nearly  all  the  State  of 
Kentucky,  a  small  jjortion  of  Xorthern  Alabama.  Middle  and  Western 
Tennessee  and  the  central  part  of  Georgia.  The  distinguishing  fea- 
ture of  this  district  is  its  pottery,  a  long-necked  water  jar  of  graceful 
outline  being  especially  abundant.  Fragments  of  pottery  indicated 
that  they  were  part  of  vessels  from  three  to  four  feet  in  diameter  and 
capable  of  holding  several  gallons.  Several  forts  have  been  noted,  a 
few  of  which  are  connected  with  nearby  streams  by  subterranean  pas- 
sages, and  some  of  the  mounds  have  yielded  up  stone  images,  believed 
by  archaeologists  to  have  been  objects  of  worship. 

7.  The  Arkansas  District  includes  the  State  of  Arkansas,  the 
northern  part  of  Louisiana  and  the  southeast  corner  of  ]Missouri. 
Burial  mounds  here  are  small  and  few  in  number,  ^'illage  sites  have 
been  located  by  means  of  the  hut  rings  and  pottery  has  been  found  in 
abundance. 

8.  The  Gulf  District  includes  the  country  bordering  on  the  Gulf 
of  JNIexico.  In  this  district  are  a  number  of  fine  tnmcated  pyramids, 
some  of  them  built  in  terraces;  skeletons  buried  in  bark  coffins  have 
been  unearthed  and  other  skeletons  have  been  foimd  in  caves;  the 
entire  district  is  rich  in  pottery,  and  a  peculiarity  of  this  region  is  the 
large  numlier  of  polished  stone  implements  and  weapons  of  obsidian. 

WHO   WERE   THE   5I0UXD   BUILDERS? 

Going  back  to  the  theories  regarding  the  origin  and  age  of  the 
]Mound  Builders,  it  is  worthy  of  note  that  in  more  recent  years  arch- 
asologists  are  inclined  to  doubt  the  idea  of  great  anticjuity.  or  that  the 
IMound  Builders  differed  materially  in  racial  characteristics  from  the 
IVorth  American  Indian.  Those  who  have  made  extensive  research 
among  the  mounds,  or  a  careful  and  systematic  study  of  the  relics  in 
connection  with  the  work  of  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Ktlmolouv, 
are  practically  a  unit  in  the  belief  that  the  Indians  found  here  l)y  the 
first  white  men  are  the  descendants  of  the  ]Mound  Buildei-s.  but  that 
the  traditions  of  the  latter  have  been  lost.    Even  some  of  the  earliest 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  27 

writers  on  the  subject  expressed  the  opinion  that  the  Aztecs  were 
(lesceiuhmts  of  the  ancient  tribes  who  once  inhabited  the  interior  of 
Xortli  ^Vnierica. 

That  the  tlieory  of  threat  age  is  erroneous,  to  some  extent  at  least, 
becomes  apparent  \\  iuii  it  is  known  that  the  early  French  and  Spanish 
explorers  in  the  soullic  rn  \)nvt  of  what  is  now  the  I'^nited  States,  dis- 
covered that  among  the  Natchez  Indians  the  house  of  the  chief  was 
always  built  ujjou  an  artificial  mound.  Mention  of  this  fact  is  seen 
in  a  numbci'  of  the  early  French  archives,  and  as  eminent  an  authority 
as  I'ierre  Margry  says:  "When  a  chief  dies  they  demolish  his  cabin 
and  then  raise  a  new  mound,  on  which  they  build  the  cabin  of  the  chief 
who  is  to  replace  the  one  deceased  in  this  dignity,  for  the  chief  never 
Iddges  in  the  house  of  his  predecessor." 

How  long  this  custom  had  prevailed  among  the  southern  Indians 
no  one  knows.  l)ut  it  may  account  for  the  large  number  of  small 
mounds  throughout  the  region  once  inhabited  by  the  Natchez  and  their 
ancestors.  It  has  also  been  learned  that  the  Yamasee  Indians  of 
Georgia  built  mounds  over  the  warriors  slain  in  l)attle.  and  Charlevoix 
found  amony-  the  Canadian  tribes  some  who  built  earthworks  similar 
in  many  respects  to  those  described  by  Thomas  in  the  Iluron-lnxiuois 
District. 

Early  investigators  found  in  many  of  the  small  mounds  burnt  or 
baked  clay  and  charcoal,  for  which  they  were  at  a  loss  to  account. 
Snbst(|uent  research  has  disclosed  the  fact  that  among  certain  tribes. 
|)artieularly  those  of  the  lower  M  ississi])])i  country,  the  family  hut 
was  built  u])on  an  artificial  mound  in  many  instances.  This  has  led 
Jirintoii  to  advance  the  theory  that  the  house  was  constructed  of  ])oles 
and  the  cracks  l)etween  the  ]K)les  filled  with  clay.  When  the  head  of 
the  familv  died,  the  body  was  buried  under  the  center  of  the  hut.  which 
was  then  burned.  i\s  it  is  now  known  that  this  custom  was  followed 
for  prrha])s  many  generations.  Ri-inton"s  theory  would  account  I'or 
the  binnt  clay  and  charcoal,  as  well  as  for  the  large  number  of  small 
mounds,  each  contaim'ng  a  single  human  skeleton. 

^Vnother  evidence  that  there  is  some  relationship  bL'tweeii  the 
Mound  Builders  and  the  Indians  of  more  recent  times  is  found  in  tiie 
jiotterv  made  by  some  of  the  southwestern  tribes,  which  is  very  similar 
in  both  texture  and  design  to  the  ])ottery  found  in  ancient  mounds. 
Among  the  cliff  dwellers  archicologists  have  fomid  wea]Jons  and 
utensils  almost  exactly  like  some  of  those  found  in  the  mounds,  and 
some  have  even  gone  so  far  as  to  assert  that  the  cliff  dwellers  are  but 
the  remnant  of  the  once  numerous  and  widely  distriliuted  Mound 
Builders. 


28  IIISTOIIV   OF  STAKK  COL'XTV 

In  the  light  of  these  discoveries,  it  is  not  surprising  tliat  ethnologists 
are  discarding  the  theory  of  a  separate  race  and  great  age  and  advanc- 
ing in  its  stead  one  of  a  vastly  different  nature,  viz:  That  the  Mound 
Builder  was  nothing  more  than  the  ancestor,  more  or  less  remote,  of 
the  North  American  Indian.  The  new  theory,  however,  has  not  de- 
creased the  interest  in  the  ^Moiind  Buildeivs  and  their  works.  Says 
Thomas:  "The  hoj)e  of  idtinuitely  solving  the  great  problem  is  per- 
haps as  lively  today  as  in  former  years.  But,  with  the  vast  increase 
of  knowledge  in  recent  years,  a  modification  of  the  hope  has  taken 
ace. 

MOUNDS    IN    STAKK    COUNTY 

Nearly  every  county  in  the  State  of  Illinois  contains  some  evidence 
of  having  been  inhabited  by  INIound  Builders.  Stark  County  is  no 
exception.  ^Slany  of  the  mounds  in  the  state  have  been  completely 
obliterated  by  the  plow  and  many  others  show  only  slight  traces  of 
their  former  outlines.  Flint  spear  and  arrow  heads,  stone  axes,  hvmian 
bones  and  a  few  specimens  of  pottery  have  all  been  found  within  the 
limits  of  Stark  County.  Formerly  the  spear  and  arrow  heads  were 
so  numerous  as  to  excite  but  little  interest  or  comment.  The  most 
noted  mound  anywhere  near  Stark  County  is  probably  the  one  de- 
scribed by  W.  H.  Adams,  of  Rochester,  Peoria  County,  in  a  communi- 
cation to  the  Smithsonian  Institution  in  188.5.     ^Ir.  Adams  says: 

"(On  the  north  side  of  the  Spoon  River,  eighty  rods  west  of  the 
east  line  and  twenty  rods  south  of  the  north  line  of  section  12.  town- 
shi])  11,  range  4,  east  of  the  fourth  principal  meridian,  is  a  round 
mound  about  thirty  feet  in  diameter,  called  by  those  in  the  neighbor- 
hood 'the  hogback.'  On  the  highest  ])art  of  this  hogback,  at  the 
surface,  is  some  evidence  of  fire.  The  e^'idenees  of  a  former  fire 
increase  very  rapidly.  At  a  depth  of  twelve  to  sixteen  inches  I  found 
five  skeletons,  nearly  all  the  liones  of  which  were  calcined  i)y  fire,  and 
many  of  them  entirely  consumed.  One  of  the  skulls  lay  to  the  north, 
one  to  the  northwest,  one  to  the  southwest,  one  to  the  south  and  one 
to  the  northeast.  With  the  bones  were  fragments  of  sandstone  burned 
red.  At  or  near  each  skull,  and  nearly  on  a  line  between  the  point  of 
the  shoulder  and  the  ear.  was  a  water-worn  pebble,  except  in  one 
instance,  and  that  was  an  angular  ])iece  of  flint.  The  pebliles  had  not 
been  acted  upon  by  the  fire,  so  that  they  were  evidently  placed  there 
after  the  intense  heat  of  the  fire  had  subsided.  From  the  appearance 
of  the  earth  one  would  be  strongly  inclined  to  believe  that  the  fire  in 


\ 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COrXTV  29 

this  instance  luul  hccn  one  of  unusual  intensity.  From  the  position 
ol"  the  skulls  to  each  other,  the  feet  of  one  body  would  reach  to  his 
neit^lihor's  head,  if  laid  at  full  length.  One  of  the  skulls  was  rather 
thinner  than  those  we  usually  tind  in  other  mounds.  Some  of  the 
teeth  belonged  to  a  person  of  great  age;  others  of  the  teeth  were  very 
small,  but  1  cannot  say  tliat  they  belonged  to  an  infant.  The  skulls 
were  in  fragments,  the  largest  piece  obtained  being  about  two  inches 
square.  On  another  hogback,  east  of  the  one  described,  commencing 
on  section  12,  township  11,  range  4  east,  extending  across  the  north- 
west coi'ner  of  section  7.  township  11,  range  5  east,  and  also  some 
distance  on  section  (>.  township  11,  are  thirteen  common  round  mounds, 
varying  in  height  from  eighteen  inches  to  tive  feet.  As  far  as  ex- 
amined these  are  burial  mounds  and  in  one  I  found  nineteen  skeletons. 
This  one  was  forty-tive  feet  in  diameter  and  five  feet  high.  The  bones 
wei'C'  ill  a  fair  state  of  preservation.  I  opened  four  or  five  of  this 
group  and  in  each  were  found  pieces  of  trap  rock  from  one  and  one- 
half  to  two  inches  square;  pieces  oi'  burned  sand  rock,  small  water- 
worn  pebbles,  and  in  the  largest  mound  a  very  small  fragment  of  red 
pottery." 

Although  the  mounds  thus  described  by  jSIr.  Adams  are  not  within 
the  limits  of  Stark  County  they  are  situated  near  its  southwest  corner. 
The  first  "hogback"  mentioned  by  him  is  a  little  southeast  of  the 
Village  of  Ftherley,  Knox  County,  and  the  thirteen  burial  mounds 
.ihiiost  touch  the  southwest  corner  of  Stark.  All  are  near  enough  to 
sustain  the  belief  that  the  ^lound  Huilder  was  once  an  inhabitant  of 
the  county.  Mr.  Adams  and  T.  jM.  Shalleiiberger  gave  considerable 
attention  to  the  archieology  of  the  Spoon  River  \'^alley,  and  after  the 
Indians  Mere  removed  from  the  country  these  two  men  visited  all  the 
old  cam])ing  grounds  and  villages  of  the  red  men,  leveling  numerous 
small  mounds  in  search  of  historic  relics.  Few  were  found,  however, 
exce])t  arrow  and  spear  heads,  such  as  those  above  referred  to,  and 
some  I'ragmentary  .skeletons.  It  is  doubtful  whether  the  skeletons 
found  on  the  old  village  sites  were  those  of  Mound  Builders  or  the 
bones  of  Indians  buried  there  in  comparatively  recent  years. 

There  is  a  sort  of  grim  pathos  in  the  reflection  that  where  the 
Avhite  people  of  Stark  County  now  live  in  peace  and  prosperity  there 
once  dwelt  a  people  of  widely  different  manners  and  customs:  that  in 
the  march  of  time  they  ])assed  out  of  existence,  leaving  only  here  and 
there  the  mounds  and  other  relics  to  mark  their  ])lace  of  residence. 
After  the  Mound  Builder  came  the  Indian,  who  in  turn  retired  before 


30 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 


the  superior  civili/,atii)ii  of  the  wliite  man,  and  there  is  also  a  pathos 
in  the  refleetion  that  2,000  years  hence  another  race  may  indulge  in  as 
much  speculation  over  the  relics  left  hy  the  present  occupants  of  the 
country  as  our  scientists  have  indulged  in  over  the  mounds  and  earth- 
woi'ks  of  America's  aboriginal  inhabitants. 


I 


CHAPTER  III 
INDIAN  HISTORY 

DISTKIBUTION    Or   INDIAN    NATIONS   AT   THE   CLOSE   OF   THE  EIFTEENTH 
CENTURY  —  THE  n.IJNOIS  —  SUBORDINATE  TRIBES  —  THE  SACS  AND 

rOXES THE    BLACK    HAAVK    WAR DEATH    OF    BLACK    HAWK THE 

POTTAMATOMI THEIR  TILLAGES  IN  STARK   COUNTY SHAB-BO-XEE 

— TREATIES    WITH    THE    POTTAWATOMl THEIR    CHARACTER THE 

AVINNEBAGO INDIAN    NAMES. 

When  Christopher  Cohimhiis  first  discovered  the  Western  Hemis- 
phere, in  l-^D-i,  he  heheved  that  he  had  at  hist  reached  the  goal  of  his 
k)ng-  cherished  desires  and  that  the  country  was  the  eastern  shore  of 
Asia.  The  first  European  explorers  in  America,  entertaining  a  sim- 
ilar belief,  thought  the  country  was  India  and  gave  to  the  race  of 
copper  colored  peojjle  they  found  here  the  name  of  Indians.  Later 
explorations  established  the  fact  that  Columbus  had  actually  dis- 
covered a  land  hitherto  unknown,  but  the  name  conferred  upon  the 
natives  still  remains.  This  race  is  divided  into  several  groups,  or 
families,  each  of  which  is  marked  by  certain  physical  characteristics 
and  the  language  spoken.  At  the  beginning  of  the  Sixteenth  century 
the  \arious  groups,  or  at  least  the  leading  ones,  were  distributed  over 
the  continent  of  North  America  as  follows : 

In  the  far  north  were  the  Eskimo,  a  tribe  that  never  played  any 
iiiipdrtaiit  part  in  history.  Their  descendants  still  inhabit  the  country 
in  tlie  vicinity  of  the  Arctic  Circle,  where  some  of  them  are  occa- 
sionally employed  as  guides  to  polar  expeditions. 

The  Algonquian  family,  the  largest  and  most  powerful  of  all  the 
Indian  nations  or  groups,  occupied  a  large  triangle,  roughly  liounded 
l)y  the  Atlantic  coast  from  the  most  eastern  point  of  Labrador  to 
Ca]je  Hatteras  and  lines  from  those  two  points  to  the  western  end  of 
Lake  Superior.  To  this  great  group  belonged  the  tribes  that  once 
inhabited  what  is  now  the  State  of  Illinois,  the  principal  of  which  were 
tlie  Illinois,  the  Sacs,  the  Foxes,  the  Shawnees,  the  ^Vinnebagoes,  the 
Ottawas,  and  the  Pottawatomies. 

31 


32  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

In  the  center  of  the  Algonquian  countiy — along  the  shores  of 
Lake  Ontario  and  the  upper  waters  of  the  St.  I>a\\rence  River — was 
the  home  of  tlie  Irociuoian  trihes,  to  wit:  The  Oneidas,  Onondagas, 
JMoliawks,  Cayugas  and  Senecas.  To  the  early  colonists  these  tribes 
became  known  as  the  "I^'ive  Nations."  Some  years  later  the  Tus- 
caroras  were  added  to  the  confederacy,  whicii  then  took  the  name  of 
the  "Six  Nations." 

South  of  the  Alguntjuian  and  Iroquoian  families  lay  the  country  of 
the  JMuskhogean  family,  the  principal  tribes  of  which  were  the  Creeks, 
Chickasaws,  Choctaws  and  Cherokees.  The  people  of  this  group  were 
among  the  most  intelligent  and  aggressive  of  the  North  American 
Indians. 

In  the  great  Northwest,  about  the  sources  of  the  Mississippi  River 
and  extending  westward  to  the  IMissouri,  Mas  the  country  of  the 
Siouan  group,  which  was  composed  of  a  number  of  tribes  noted  for 
their  physical  prowess  and  warlike  tendencies.  South  and  west  of 
this  lay  the  domain  of  the  bold,  vindictive  Comanche,  Apache  and 
other  tribes,  closely  allied  to  the  Sioux  in  appearance,  language  and 
customs,  while  in  various  parts  of  the  continent  were  minor  tribes 
which  claimed  kinship  with  none  of  the  great  families.  They  were 
generally  inferior  in  numbers,  often  nomadic  in  their  habits,  and  con- 
sequently are  of  little  historic  importance. 

Yolinnes  have  been  written  upon  the  subject  of  the  North  Amer- 
ican Indian — his  legends,  traditions  and  habits — and  it  has  not  yet 
been  exhausted.  In  a  work  of  this  nature  it  is  not  the  design  to  give 
those  tribes  whose  history  is  connected  with  the  country  now  included 
an  extended  account  of  the  Indian  race  as  a  whole,  but  to  notice  onlj' 
within  the  State  of  Illinois  and  Stark  County. 

THE    ILLINOIS 

The  Illinois — or  Illini,  as  they  were  at  first  known  to  the  white 
men — belonged  to  the  Algonquian  family  and  was  the  tribe  from 
Avhich  the  State  of  Illinois  took  its  name.  The  organization  of  the 
Illinois  was  in  the  natiu-e  of  a  confederacy,  which  \\as  conq)osed  of 
five  subordinate  tribes — the  Peoria,  Kaskaskia,  Tamaroa,  jNIichigani 
(or  jMoingwena)  and  the  Cahokia.  According  to  their  traditions  they 
were  once  a  powerful  tribe  and  took  ])ossession  of  their  lands  in  Illinois 
by  driving  out  some  of  the  Siouan  group.  Later  they  made  war  on 
the  Winnebago  Indians  and  drove  them  northward,  after  which  they 
held  undisinited  possession  of  the  broad  prairies  of  Illinois  until  about 


I 
I 


lUSTOUV   OF  STARK  COUNTY  33 

the  middle  of  tlie  Seventeenth  century,  wlien  they  were  attacked  by 
tlie  warh'ke  Irociuois  and  forced  to  rehn(iuish  part  of  tlieir  domain. 

The  Illinois  were  expert  hunters,  skilled  in  the  use  of  the  bow  and 
arrow,  but  could  not  successfully  handle  a  canoe.  The  principal  cen- 
ter of  their  coirfederacy  was  at  Kaskaskia,  which,  during  the  most 
prosperous  days  of  the  tribe,  numbered  some  eight  thousand  inhabi- 
tants. Their  cabins  here  were  well  built  and  covered  with  a  water])r()of 
matting.  Generally  each  cabin  contained  four  tires,  around  which 
the  inmates  would  gather  of  evenings,  the  old  warriors  relating  in- 
stances of  skill  and  bravery  in  the  chase  or  in  battle  for  the  edification 
of  the  members  of  the  younger  generation. 

.Vbout  the  beginning  of  the  war  with  the  Iroquois,  in  Ki.jd,  some 
of  the  Illinois  crossed  the  Mississippi  River  and  established  several 
villages  in  what  is  now  Lee  County,  Iowa,  where  they  were  visited  by 
JNIarquette  and  Joliet  in  tlie  summer  of  1073. 

In  the  summer  of  1G80  anotiier  invasion  of  the  Illinois  country 
was  made  by  the  Iroquois,  who  attacked  the  Peoria  and  Kaskaskia 
tribes,  the  object  having  been  to  drive  them  out  and  get  possession  of 
their  hunting  grounds.  ]Many  of  the  Illinois  were  killed,  their  homes 
burned,  their  crops  destroyed  and  about  nine  hundred  were  carried 
away  as  prisoners. 

In  1709  the  Ottawa  chief,  Pontiac,  who  had  formed  the  conspiracy 
and  led  the  uprising  against  the  white  settlements  six  years  before, 
was  killed  by  some  of  the  Illinois  Indians.  The  great  chieftain  was 
the  idoj  of  his  tribe  and  was  also  held  in  high  esteem  by  the  Chii)pe\va 
and  Pottawatomi  Indians.  The  three  tribes  allied  themselves  in  a  wai- 
upon  the  Illinois  to  avenge  the  death  of  Pontiac.  The  Illinois,  who 
had  never  fully  recovered  from  the  onslaughts  of  the  Iroquois,  were 
in  no  condition  to  meet  such  powerful  enemies.  Defeat  after  defeat 
followed  in  (piiek  succession  and  the  remnant  of  the  tribe  was  driven 
to  the  summit  of  the  bluff  known  as  "Starved  Rock,"  on  the  Illinois 
River,  about  half  way  between  the  ])resent  cities  of  La  Salle  and 
Ottawa.  The  bluff  offered  a  good  ])lace  of  defense,  as  the  sides  of 
the  rock  are  perpendicular,  except  in  one  place,  and  there  not  more 
than  two  persons  could  ascend  abreast.  Assault  was  therefore  out  of 
the  question  and  the  allies  settled  down  to  a  siege.  The  Illinois  held 
out  until  one  dark,  stormy  night,  when  they  made  a  sortie,  but  only  a 
few  succeeded  in  making  their  escape.  Those  few  took  to  canoes  and 
])ad(lled  down  the  river,  finally  reaching  St.  Louis,  where  they  were 
given  shelter  and  food  by  the  white  occu])ants  of  the  fort. 

One  account  says  that  their  pursuers  soon  afterward  appeared  be- 


34  HISTOKY  OF  STxVHK  COUNTY 

fore  the  fort  and  demanded  the  surrender  of  the  Illinois,  that  the 
tribe  might  be  comijlctely  exterminated,  and  that  when  their  demands 
Avere  denied  they  departetl  witli  threats  of  Nengeance  against  the  fort — 
threats  that  were  never  carried  into  execution.  After  spending  some 
time  at  the  fort,  until  their  strength  was  fully  recovered,  the  refugees 
recrossed  the  Mississii^pi  and  joined  their  kindred  tribes  in  Southern 
Illinois. 

Some  writers  say  that  tlie  Illinois  were  greatly  addicted  to  vice 
and  were  almost  constantly  at  \var  until  they  were  converted  by  the 
teachings  of  Father  JNIarquette  and  other  Jesuit  missionaries.  But,  so 
far  as  can  be  learned,  the  only  aggressive  wars  ever  waged  by  tliem 
were  against  the  minor  Siouan  tribes  and  the  Winnebagoes  in  the 
early  days  of  their  history,  the  accounts  of  which  are  only  vague  tradi- 
tions. In  the  wars  with  the  Iroquois,  and  the  allied  tribes  above 
mentioned,  the  Illinois  fought  on  the  defensive. 

THE    SxVCS    AXU    FOXES 

These  two  tribes,  Ashicli  at  one  time  occujiied  a  large  tract  of 
country  in  Western  Illinois,  and  no  doubt  hunted  where  Stark  County 
is  now  situated,  are  usually  sjioken  of  as  one  people,  though  they  were 
two  separate  and  distinct  tribes.  They  liecame  allied  by  force  of 
circumstances  for  their  mutual  protection,  each  tribe  maintaining  its 
identity,  though  one  chief  ruled  over  both. 

The  Sacs — also  called  Sauks  and  Saukies — belonged  to  the  Algon- 
quian  family  and  were  known  as  "The  people  of  the  outlet."  Their 
earliest  known  habitat  was  in  the  lower  peninsula  of  IMichigan,  where 
they  lived  with  the  Pottawatomi.  The  name  Saginaw,  as  applied  to 
a  bay  and  city  in  ^Michigan,  means  "the  place  of  the  Sac,"  and  marks 
the  place  where  they  once  dwelt.  The  Sacs  are  first  mentioned  as  a 
separate  tribe  in  the  Jesuit  Relations  for  IGiO,  though  they  were  then 
allied  with  the  Pottawatomi,  jNIascoutens,  Foxes  and  Kickapoos,  and 
maintained  friendly  relations  a\  ith  the  3Iiami  and  Winnebago  tribes. 
Their  ti'aditions  tell  how  they  were  driven  from  the  shores  of  Lake 
Huron  by  the  Iroquois  and  their  allies  before  the  middle  of  the 
Seventeenth  century.  They  then  retired  by  A\'ay  of  jNIackinaw  and  a 
few  years  later  found  a  new  abode  along  the  shores  of  Green  Bay, 
AVisconsin.  Father  AUouez,  one  of  the  early  Jesuit  missionaries,  in 
Avriting  of  these  Indians  in  1667,  says:  "They  are  more  savage  than 
any  of  the  other  people  I  have  met ;  they  are  a  populous  tribe,  although 
they  have  no  fixed  dwelling  place,  being  Avanderers  and  vagabonds  in 
the  forests." 


IIISTOKV   OF  STARK  COUXTV  35 

That  portion  of  their  traditions  rchiting  to  their  expulsion  from 
the  eountry  on  the  west  shore  of  Lake  Huron  and  their  pilgriniage  to 
Green  Bay  is  first  told  by  Father  Uablon,  in  the  Jesuit  Kelations  for 
KiTl.  Says  he:  ''The  Sacs,  Pottawatomies  and  neighboring  tribes, 
being  ilriven  from  their  own  countries,  which  are  the  lands  southward 
from  ^Nlissilimakinac,  have  taken  refuge  at  the  head  of  this  bay,  be- 
yond which  one  can  see  inland  the  Nation  of  Fire,  with  one  of  the 
Illinois  tribes  called  Oumiami  and  the  Foxes." 

In  the  same  year  that  this  was  written,  the  Ilurons  and  Ottawas 
startetl  on  an  invasion  of  the  Sioux  country.  On  the  way  they  per- 
suaded the  Sacs  and  I'ottawatomi  to  join  the  expedition.  They  were 
defeated  in  the  undertaking  and  the  surviving  Sacs  returned  to  Green 
Hay,  where  they  were  content  to  live  in  peace  for  several  years  before 
making  any  more  warlike  demonstrations. 

Dorsey  divides  the  tribe  into  fourteen  gentes,  or  clans.  ^Marriages 
were  usually  made  between  men  and  wouien  of  different  clans,  though 
they  were  not  forbidden  among  persons  of  the  same  clan.  Polygamy 
was  practiced  to  some  extent,  though  in  this  respect  the  Sacs  were 
not  so  bad  as  some  of  the  other  AIg(iii(|uian  tribes.  Their  religion 
consisted  of  a  belief  in  numerous  "JNlanitous"  and  was  rich  in  myth 
and  fable. 

The  Foxes,  also  an  Algonquian  tribe,  resembled  in  many  particu- 
lars the  Sacs,  with  whom  they  became  confederated.  Their  Indian 
name  was  JMesh-kwa-ke-lnig  (nearly  always  written  INIusquakies), 
signifying'  "Peojile  of  the  red  earth."  Their  original  dwelling  place 
is  somewhat  uncertain.  According  to  their  traditions  they  once  lived 
along  the  Atlantic  coast  in  the  vicinity  of  the  present  State  of  Rhode 
Island.  Subsequently  some  of  them  occu])ied  the  country  along  the 
southern  shore  of  Lake  Sii])erior,  from  which  they  were  driven  by  the 
Chippewas.  In  IG.'Ji  Jean  Nicollet  found  some  of  them  on  the  Fox 
River,  not  far  from  Gi'cen  Bay,  Wisconsin,  and  in  107(5  Father 
.Allouez  visited  a  band  of  Foxes  on  the  Wolf  River,  in  the  same  state. 
In  his  rejxirt  of  his  year's  work  he  speaks  of  a  "IMus()uakie  village  of 
about  five  thousand  inhabitants." 

The  name  "Fox"  originated  with  the  French,  who  called  these 
Indians  "Reynors."  They  were  regarded  by  the  neighboring  tribes 
as  "avaricious,  thieving.  ])assionate  and  (|iiarrelsome."  With  an  in- 
tense hati-cd  for  the  French  they  planned  the  attack  upon  the  ])ost  at 
Detroit  in  1712.  The  timely  arrival  of  reinforcements  saved  the  post 
and  the  Indians  were  signally  defeated.  The  Foxes  that  took  ])art 
in  this  movement  then  joined  those  spoken  of  by  Father  Allouez  on 
the  ^Volf  River. 


36  HISTORY  OF  STAHK  COUNTY 

About  1730  the  Dutch  and  EngHsh  traders,  knowing  the  hatred 
of  the  Foxes  for  the  French,  formed  an  alliance  with  the  tribe  for  the 
jjurpose  of  driving  French  conijjetition  from  the  fur  country  about 
the  Great  Lakes.  On  the  othei-  hand  the  French  enhsted  the  coopera- 
tion of  the  Huron,  Ottawa,  Pottawatomi  and  some  minor  tribes.  In 
the  war  which  followed  the  Foxes  were  defeated  and  sought  shelter 
M'ith  the  Sacs  who  lived  near  Green  Bay.  The  French  authorities, 
thinking  the  Foxes  had  not  been  sutticiently  punished,  sent  a  force  of 
French  soldiers  and  Indians,  ccjmmanded  by  an  officer  named  De  Vil- 
liers,  to  the  Sac  village  on  the  shores  of  Green  Bay  to  demand  their 
surrender.  The  demand  was  rei'used  by  the  Sac  chiefs  and  a  hard 
fought  battle  ensued,  in  which  the  Sacs  were  defeated,  but  the  refugees 
were  not  surrendered.  This  was  the  beginning  of  the  alliance  which 
afterward  resulted  in  the  two  tribes  being  generally  recognized  as  one. 

In  the  meantime  some  of  the  Sacs  had  migrated  southward,  into 
what  is  now  the  State  of  Illinois,  and  in  1731  they  fovmded  the  Village 
of  Sau-ke-nuk  on  the  Kock  River  near  its  mouth.  ^Vhen  those  who 
remained  in  Wisconsin  were  defeated  bj'  the  French  and  their  Indian 
allies  for  defending  the  Foxes,  they  brought  their  refugees  and  joined 
the  Sacs  on  the  Rock  River.  At  the  beginning  of  the  Xineteenth 
century  there  were  about  eight  thousand  Sacs  and  Foxes  living  along 
the  Rock  River,  their  hunting  grounds  extending  eastward  to  the 
Illhiois  River.  When  Lieut.  Zebulon  ]M.  Pike  went  up  the  Mississippi 
River  in  180.5,  he  visited  the  Sac  and  Fox  villages  in  Illinois. 

Of  all  the  Indian  tribes,  the  Foxes  were  prol)ably  the  only  one 
that  had  what  might  be  called  a  coat  of  arms.  The  design  consisted 
of  an  obli(|ue  line  (supposed  to  represent  a  river),  with  the  figure  of 
a  fox  at  each  end,  but  on  opposite  sides.  Following  a  victory  in  Mar 
this  emblem  was  ])ainted  or  carved  on  rocks  and  trees  to  tell  the  story 
of  their  valor  and  at  the  same  time  serve  as  a  warning  to  their  enemies. 

The  Fox  tribe,  according  to  Dorsey,  was  divided  into  twelve  gentes. 
Their  pi'incipal  deities  were  Wisaka  and  Kiyapata.  mIio  were  bi'others. 
The  former  ruled  the  day  and  the  latter  the  night.  The  princijial 
features  of  their  religion  were  animal  fable  and  a  crude  mythology, 
and  they  had  many  ceremonial  observances,  anniversaries,  etc.  The 
Fox  Indians  practiced  agriculture  in  a  primitive  way.  raising  corn, 
beans,  tobacco,  squashes  and  some  other  vegetables.  In  a  few  cases 
some  big  chief  or  warrior  of  note  would  l)e  i)ermitted  to  have  more 
than  one  squaAv,  but  jjolygamous  marriages  were  the  exception  rather 
than  the  rule. 

Two  of  the  greatest  chiefs  in  the  history  of  the  North  American 


I 


HISTORY  OF  STARK   COUNTY  37 

Indians  hflonoed  to  tlif  allied  tribes  of  the  Sacs  and  Foxes.  They 
were  Rlaek  Hawk  and  Keokuk,  both  born  of  Sac  parents,  but  recog- 
nized as  chiefs  by  the  Foxes.  Black  Hawk  was  a  warrior  and  Keokuk 
was  a  politician.  The  latter  never  played  any  considerable  part  in 
the  history  of  Illinois. 

THE    m.ACK    HAWK     WAli 

Black  Hawk,  whose  Indian  name  was  INIa-ka-ta-wi-nie-sha-ka-ka, 
was  born  at  the  Sac  village  on  the  Rock  River  in  1767.  His  father, 
l*y-e-sa,  was  a  direct  descendant  of  Xan-a-nia-kee  (Thunder)  and 
l?lack  Hawk  was  therefoi-c  a  member  oi'  the  Thunder  clan.  Accord- 
ing to  tribal  tradition,  Xan-a-ma-kee  had  been  intrusted  by  the  (ireat 
Spii'it  with  the  great  medicine  bag  of  the  Sac  nation  and  instructed 
to  keep  it  always  within  the  clan.  ^Vhen  Black  Hawk  was  about  nine- 
teen years  old  his  fatiier  was  killed  in  an  encounter  with  the  Cherokee 
Indians  and  the  youth  thus  became  the  custodian  of  the  sacred  medi- 
cine bag.  This  medicine  bag  had  never  been  disgraced,  and  to  ])re])are 
himself  for  the  duty  of  preserving  it  unsullied  Black  Hawk  took  no 
part  in  the  military  affairs  of  his  ])coi)le  for  about  five  years,  although 
be  bad  l)een  trained  in  tlie  arts  of  war  by  liis  father  and  bad  already 
(Hstinguished  himself  upon  the  Held  of  battle.  The  five  years  were 
s{)ent  in  praying  to  the  (ireat  S])irit  to  endow  him  with  the  necessary 
strength  and  wisdom  to  perform  his  duty.  During  that  ])criod  he 
would  fre(iuently  go  to  the  i)romontory  near  his  home  on  tlie  Roeli 
IJivcr.  where  be  would  pass  hours  at  a  time  smoking  and  meditating. 
'IMie  pi'omontory  is  still  called  "HIack  Hawk's  ^Vatch  Tower." 

On  November  ."},  1804,  (xcn.  William  H.  Harrison,  then  governor 
of  the  Indiana  Territory,  negotiated  a  treaty  at  St.  I>ouis  with  some 
of  the  ihinor  chiefs  of  the  Sacs  and  Foxes,  by  which  the  confederated 
tribes  ceded  their  lands  cast  of  the  JNIississippi  Rivei-  to  the  United 
States,  retaim'ng  the  ])rivilege  of  dwelling  thei'eon  until  the  lands  were 
actually  taken  up  by  white  settlers,  wiien  they  were  to  remove  to  a 
new  reservation  west  of  the  IMississippi  River.  There  was  a  great 
deal  of  dissatisfaction  among  a  large  element  of  the  Sacs  and  Foxes 
over  the  terms  of  this  treaty.  It  was  then  the  custom  for  these  tribes 
to  instruct  their  chiefs  or  delegates  to  a  treaty  council  in  advance  as  to 
what  course  was  to  be  pursued,  or  afterward  confirm  the  action  of 
such  chiefs  or  delegates  by  a  vote.  Some  of  the  Indians  claimed  that 
the  chiefs  who  attended  the  council  at  St.  Louis  had  no  definite  in- 
structions to  sell  the  lands  east  of  the  Mississi])pi,  and  a   |)ortion  of 


38  IIISTOKY^  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

the  allied  tribes,  uiuler  the  leadershij)  of  Black  Hawk,  refused  to 
confirm  their  action. 

At  the  heginnino-  of  tlie  War  of  1812  part  of  tlie  Sacs  and  l-'oxes 
joined  tile  British  and  became  known  as  the  "British  Hand  of  Rock 
River,"  of  which  Black  Hawk  was  tlie  leader.  Shortly  aftei-  tiie 
conclusion  of  the  war  treaties  were  made  with  the  several  tribes  or 
bands  wiiich  had  fought  on  the  side  of  England,  but  it  was  not  until 
JNIay  13,  1816,  that  Black  Hawk  and  twenty-one  other  head  men  of 
the  Rock  River  Sacs  could  be  persuaded  to  enter  into  an  agreement 
to  keep  the  peace.  On  that  date,  at  St.  Louis,  those  twenty-two 
Indians  "touched  the  goose  quill,"  or  signed  a  treaty  reaffirming  the 
treaty  of  November  3,  1804,  though  Black  Hawk  afterward  declared 
that  he  did  not  understand  what  he  was  signing  and  repudiated  his 
action. 

In  1828  President  Adams  issued  a  proclamation  declaring  the 
lands  ceded  by  the  treaty  of  ISO-t  opened  to  white  settlement  and 
ordering  the  removal  of  the  Indians  to  the  west  side  of  the  JNIississipjji. 
As  a  matter  of  fact  Chief  Keokuk  and  his  band  had  removed  to  the 
west  side  of  the  river  about  two  years  before  the  proclamation  was 
issued,  but  Black  Hawk  refused  to  vacate  until  the  United  States 
Government  actually  sold  the  section  of  land  upon  which  his  village 
was  situated.  In  1830  he  and  his  followers  crossed  tiie  river  "under 
protest,"  the  old  chief  being  far  from  reconciled  to  the  situation. 

In  the  spring  of  1831,  «'ith  a  number  of  his  braves  and  their 
families,  he  recrossed  the  river  antl  they  took  possession  of  their  old 
cabins  and  cornfields.  The  white  settlers  appealed  to  Governor  Rey- 
nolds, of  Illinois,  for  protection  and  the  governor  sent  General  Gaines 
to  Rock  Island  with  a  force  large  enough  to  compel  the  Indians  to  go 
back  to  their  new  home  west  of  the  river. 

During  the  winter  of  1831-32  the  Indians  underwent  severe  hard- 
ships in  their  new  homes.  Their  houses  were  poorly  built  and  pro- 
visions were  scarce,  so  that  thej'  suffered  from  both  cold  and  hunger. 
About  this  time  Black  Hawk  fell  under  the  influence  of  AVa-bo-kie- 
shiek,  a  "bad  medicine  man,"  who  advised  him  to  recross  the  ^lissis- 
sippi,  ostensibly  to  visit  the  Winnebagoes,  secure  the  cooperation  of 
that  tribe  and  the  Pottawatomies,  and  drive  out  the  hated  pale  faces. 
Accordingly,  on  April  (!.  1832.  he  again  crossed  over  to  the  east  side 
of  the  jMississippi  within  ])lain  view  of  the  garrison  at  Fort  Arm- 
strong, giving  out  the  information  that  he  was  on  his  way  to  visit  the 
\Vinnebagoes  and  join  witli  tliein  in  raising  a  crop  of  corn.  His 
disobedience  Avas  construed  as  a  hostile  demonstration,  however,  bv 


I 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  ;^9 

the  military  authoritifs.  who  feared  that  he  ini^ht  attempt  to  take 
possession  of  his  old  village  on  the  Roek  River.  There  is  no  evidence 
that  he  made  or  attempted  to  make  any  such  an  attempt,  and  some  of 
the  settlers,  knowing  that  an  Indian  war  party  was  never  accomi)anie(l 
hy  the  old  men.  women  and  children  of  the  trihe,  expressed  the  opinion 
that  J}laek  Hawk  was  on  a  peaceful  mission. 

Although  the  settlers  felt  no  special  alarm  over  the  expedition, 
Governor  Reynolds  took  the  view  that  Black  Hawk's  conduct  in  the 
]jast  had  heen  such  that  he  would  "hear  watching."  He  therefore 
ordered  out  the  state  militia  to  the  numher  of  •2,000  men,  which  force, 
under  command  of  General  Whiteside,  was  sent  to  the  aid  of  the 
gai-i-ison  at  Fort  Armstrong.  There  has  al\\a\s  heen  a  difference  of 
opinion  as  to  whether  Black  Hawk's  intentions  were  really  hostile, 
it  is  certain,  however,  that  the  first  warlike  movement  was  made  hy 
tlie  M-hites.  31ajor  Stillman  was  sent  out  with  a  force. of  2.50  moimted 
meu  to  turn  hack  the  Indians.  The  detachment  came  upon  Black 
Hawk  and  about  fort>-  of  his  warriors  at  some  distance  from  where 
the  main  body  of  the  Indians  were  encamped.  Black  Hawk  sent  for- 
ward five  of  his  men  bearing  a  flag  of  truce,  to  ask  for  a  parley,  but 
Stillman's  men  opened  fire  and  two  of  the  messengers  were  killed. 
The  Indians  then  took  up  the  fight  according  to  the  tactics  of  their 
race,  concealing  themselves  behind  trees  and  rocks  and  picking  off 
the  white  troopers.  Stillman's  men  being  mounted  fought  at  a  disad- 
vantage and  in  a  short  time  were  uttei'ly  routed,  abandoning  their 
provisions  and  camp  equipage  in  their  fiight. 

Up  to  this  time  no  hostile  demonstration  had  been  made  by  the 
Indians.  The  killing  of  the  two  warriors  while  engaged  in  bearing 
a  Hag  of  truce  was  the  beginning  of  hostilities.  This  occurred  on  ^lay 
12.  18.'}2.  and  during  the  next  month  some  raids  were  made  by  the 
Inrlians  upon  the  unprotected  settlements.  But  not  all  the  atrocities 
were  committed  by  the  members  of  Black  Hawk's  band.  A  number 
of  'Wimiebagoes  and  Pottawatonn'es  took  advantage  of  the  disturbed 
conditions  to  kill  and  ])lunder.  though  they  declined  the  invitation  tv 
join  Black  Hawk  and  "fight  like  men." 

Stark  County  was  at  that  time  a  ])art  of  Putnam,  and  though  at 
some  distance  from  the  seat  of  war  the  settlers  Avere  greatly  alarmed 
for  fear  that  some  straggling  war  ])arty  would  reach  the  Spoon  River 
A'alley.  ]Mrs.  Shallenberger,  in  her  "Stark  County  and  Its  Pioneers," 
savs:  "Manj'  settlers  along  the  frontiers  of  Northern  Illinois,  in 
dread  of  the  untold  horrors  of  savage  warfare,  fled  from  their  lands 
and  homes,  some  of  them  never  to  return.     It  was  at  this  crisis  that 


40  lUSTOKV  OF  STiVRK  COUNTY 

volunteers  from  Spoon  River  rciulezvoiised  at  Hennepin,  as  related 
hv  Mr.  Clifford,  under  the  direetion  of  the  gallant  Colonel  Strawii  in 
'Honajjarte  hat  and  laced  coat,'  and  it  is  said  that  no  less  than  fifteen 
hundred  men  reported  themselves  for  service  at  that  point." 

Colonel  Strawn's  name  does  not  appear  in  any  published  account 
of  the  war  and  it  is  possible  that  his  men  were  employed  for  local 
defense.  Immediately  after  Stillman's  defeat  volunteers  were  called 
foi'  and  on  June  1.3,  18.'32.  there  were  three  brigades  in  camp  at  Dixon's 
Ferry,  commanded  by  Gens.  Alexander  Posey,  Milton  R.  Alexander 
and  James  D.  Ilein-y.  In  addition  to  these  volunteer  l)rigades.  there 
were  the  regular  ti'oops  at  Fort  Armstrong,  commanded  by  General 
Atkinson,  and  the  state  militia  under  General  Whiteside.  And  all 
this  military  array  was  considered  necessary  to  overcome  the  little, 
half-starved  band  of  Sacs  and  Foxes,  whose  hostile  intentions  had  not 
j^et  been  made  certain. 

General  Atkinson  being  between  Black  Ha^\k  and  the  ^Mississippi 
River,  the  chief  started  for  the  \Visconsin  River,  intending  to  descend 
that  stream  and  recross  the  jNIississippi.  Early  in  June  jNIaj.  Henry 
Dodge,  with  his  Galena  Battalion,  joined  the  forces  at  Dixon's  Fei-ry. 
^^'hen  it  was  learned  that  Black  Hawk  was  making  for  the  \Visc()nsin 
River,  General  Henry  and  Major  Dodge  started  in  pursuit.  On 
July  21,  18.32,  they  overtook  the  Indians  at  the  Wisconsin,  about  fifty 
miles  above  its  mouth,  and  Black  Hawk  was  forced  to  make  a  stand 
until  the  women,  children  and  old  men  could  retreat  across  the  river. 
With  his  few  warriors  he  held  the  white  soldiers  at  ba.y  until  the  squaws 
constructed  light  rafts  for  the  transportation  of  the  goods  and  small 
ehildi-en.  These  rafts  thej'  pushed  across  the  stream,  at  the  same  time 
leading  the  ponies.  When  the  noncombatants  were  out  of  danger 
on  the  other  side.  Black  Hawk  sent  half  his  fighting  force  over.  From 
the  opposite  shore  these  braves  opened  fire  to  cover  the  retreat  of 
the  chief  and  the  remainder  of  his  little  band,  who  then  swam  across 
to  safety.  This  feat  was  accomplished  with  fewer  than  two  hundred 
warriors  in  the  face  of  a  vastly  superior  force,  with  a  loss  of  oidy  six 
men.  Jefferson  Davis,  then  an  ofi^cer  in  Dodge's  Battalion,  afterward 
president  of  the  Southern  Confederacy,  said  of  this  maneuver: 

"This  was  the  most  brilliant  exhibition  of  military  tactics  that  I 
ever  witnessed;  a  feat  of  most  consummate  management  and  bravery 
in  the  face  of  an  enemy  of  greatly  superior  numl)ers.  I  never  read  of 
anything  that  could  be  compared -^ith  it.  Had  it, been  performed  by 
white  men  it  would  have  been  immortalized  as  one  of  the  most  wonder- 
ful achievements  in  military  history." 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  41 

The  last  battle  of  the  Black  Hawk  War  was  fought  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Bad  Axe  River  on  August  '2,  1832.  Here  all  the  white  troops 
were  concentrated  against  Black  Hawk,  and  a  steamboat  luul  been 
sent  up  the  river  from  Fort  Crawford  to  i)revent  the  Indians  from 
crossing  the  ^lississippi.  The  force  on  this  boat  kept  up  a  tire  on  tlie 
red  men  in  front,  while  from  all  sides  the  Indians  were  assailed  by 
the  land  forces.  Yet,  in  spite  of  the  great  inequality  in  the  strength  of 
the  two  armies.  Black  Hawk  held  out  for  about  two  hours,  hoping 
vainly  for  some  fortunate  turn  in  the  battle  that  would  permit  at 
least  a  part  of  liis  people  to  escape.  Some  even  attempted  to  swim 
the  ^lississippi,  but  the  steamboat  ran  in  among  tliem,  capturing  a 
few  and  dro\^ning  others. 

After  the  battle  of  tlie  Bad  Axe,  Black  Hawk  escaped  to  the 
\\'innebago  village  at  Prairie  la  Crosse.  Through  the  treachery  of 
two  AVinnebago  Indians,  he  was  turned  over  to  General  Street,  the 
huhan  agent  at  Prairie  (hi  Chien,  as  a  prisoner.  His  two  sons  were 
also  captured  and  held  as  ])risoners  of  war.  They  were  contined  at 
Fortress  ^Monroe,  ^'^a.,  until  June  -4,  1833.  when  President  Jack- 
son ordered  their  release.  Under  the  escort  ol'  Major  (iarland  the 
three  Indians  were  then  taken  on  a  tour  of  the  country,  in  order  that 
they  might  behold  the  greatness  of  the  United  States  and  the  futility 
of  again  making  war  against  the  white  men.  AVhen  taken  ])efore 
President  Jackson,  Black  Hawk  said: 

"I  am  a  man;  you  are  only  another.  We  did  not  expect  to  con- 
(pier  the  whites.  Thej''  had  too  many  men.  I  took  up  the  hatchet  to 
avenge  injiu'ies  my  ])eo])le  could  no  longer  endure.  Had  I  borne 
them  longer  without  striking,  my  people  would  have  said  Black  Hawk 
is  a  s(|uaw;  he  is  too  old  to  be  chief;  he  is  no  Sac.  These  retlections 
caused  me  to  raise  the  war  whoop.  The  result  is  known  to  you.  I  say 
no  more." 

This  speech  has  been  quoted  to  show  that  Black  Hawk  really 
crossed  the  Mississii)pi  with  a  hostile  object  in  view.  At  its  conclusion 
President  Jackson  presented  the  old  chief  Avith  a  beautiful  sword — ■ 
"a  gift  from  one  warrior  to  another."  Black  Hawk  then  rejoined  the 
remnant  of  his  band  in  Iowa  and  died  there  on  October  3,  1838.  An 
old  ^Vtlas  of  Stark  County  states  that  Black  Hawk  once  had  an 
encampment  in  what  is  now  Goshen  Township,  but  there  is  no  cor- 
roborative testimony  to  show  that  he  ever  sojourned,  even  for  a  brief 
pei'iod.  in  the  present  county  of  Stark. 


42  HISTORY  (JF  STARK  COUNTY 

THE   POTTAAVATOJII 

Tribal  traditions  and  accounts  in  the  Jesuit  relations  go  to  show 
that  the  Pottawatonii  once  constituted  one  of  the  powerful  tribes  of 
the  Algonquian  family.  French  missionaries  and  traders  first  came 
in  contact  with  them  near  the  northern  limits  of  the  lower  ^Michigan 
peninsula,  where  they  were  known  as  the  "Nation  of  Fire."  Nicollet 
met  with  some  of  tliem  in  Wisconsin  as  early  as  1664.  Bacqueville 
de  la  Potherie.  an  early  French  writer,  says:  "In  1665  or  1666  the 
Pottawatonii  took  the  southern  and  the  Sac  the  northern  shores  of 
Green  Bay,  and  the  ^Viimebago,  who  were  not  fishermen,  went  back 
into  the  forests  to  live  on  venison  and  bear  meat." 

A  few  years  later  the  Pottawatonii  moved  southward  in  large 
numbers  and  took  possession  of  the  country  around  the  head  of  Lake 
^lichigan.  In  1674.  some  of  this  tribe  met  Father  ^Marcjuette  on  his 
return  from  the  ^Nlississipjji  River  and  acted  as  his  escort  part  of  the 
way  back  to  Canada.  As  already  related,  they  joined  with  the  Ottawa 
and  Chipi^ewa  tribes  in  a  war  with  the  Illinois  Indians  after  the  death 
of  Pontiac,  and  as  a  result  of  that  war  became  possessed  of  a  jjortion 
of  the  lands  once  inhabited  by  the  Illinois. 

About  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  war  a  part  of  the  tribe 
moved  eastward  and  in  the  early  years  of  the  nineteenth  centuiy 
occupied  practically  all  that  part  of  Indiana  lying  north  of  the 
\Vabash  River.  By  the  treaty  of  August  '2i.  1816,  they  ceded  their 
lands  along  the  shores  of  Lake  ^Michigan  to  the  United  States  and 
received  in  exchange  some  of  the  Sac  and  Fox  lands  in  Western 
Illinois.  This  brought  them  into  the  valley  of  the  Illinois  River  and 
some  of  the  tribe  established  their  homes  along  Walnut  Creek,  in 
what  is  now  Stark  County.  In  1830  the  band  removed  to  Indian 
Creek,  in  the  i)reseiit  townships  of  Goshen  and  Toulon,  where  they 
were  joined  by  others,  and  for  a  time  this  region  A\as  the  principal 
hunting  ground. 

The  leading  Pottawatonii  chief  in  this  part  of  the  state  was  Shab- 
bo-nee,  who  was  really  an  Ottawa,  ])ut  became  chief  through  his  mar- 
riage to  a  Pottawatonii  maiden,  daughter  of  a  chief.  In  the  War  of 
1812  he  listened  to  the  blandishments  of  the  ShaMnee  chief,  Tecumseli, 
and  joined  the  British,  but  afterward  proved  to  be  a  good  friend  to  the 
white  settlers.  In  1832,  at  the  time  of  the  Black  Hawk  war,  he  visited 
the  settlers  on  the  Spoon  River  and  warned  tliein  to  leave,  as  tlie  war 
was  likely  to  extend  to  that  part  of  the  country.  Acting  upon  liis 
information  David  Cooper  and  the  three  Essex  families  went  to  the 


HISTORY  OF  STAKK  COUNTY  43 

flirt  at  the  foot  of  Peoria  Lake,  tliough  they  all  returned  to  their 
liouies  in  Stark  County  with  the  exeeption  of  Thomas  Essex,  Jr.,  who 
settled  near  Peoria.     Shab-bo-nee  died  in  Grundy  County,  Illinois, 

•July  17.  1H.5!). 

On  August  17,  IH-'l.  a  council  was  held  at  Chicago,  when  (icn. 
Lewis  Cass,  as  the  coniniissioner  of  the  United  States,  defined  the 
Pottawatonii  country  as  "extending  along  both  sides  of  the  Illinois 
Kiver  and  all  its  tributaries,  and  along  the  western  shore  of  Lake 
JMichiiian  to  CTreen  Bav,  with  certain  lands  south  of  Lake  Erie." 
At  tlie  same  time  the  trilie  reliiKiuished  title  to  about  five  millions  of 
acres  in  Michigan  and  Northern  Indiana. 

Another  council  was  held  at  Chicago  on  September  26,  1833,  when 
the  Pottawatomi  chiefs  and  head  men  ceded  all  their  remaining  lands 
in  Indiana,  and  all  their  possessions  in  Illinois,  to  the  United  States. 
Two  years  later  they  received  their  last  annuity  east  of  the  ^Mississippi 
and  soon  afterward  removed  to  reservations  in  Iowa  and  INIissouri. 
A  few  of  this  once  powerful  tribe  are  still  living  in  Kansas. 

Says  ]Mrs.  Shallenberger:  "Our  pioneers  report  those  they  found 
here  as  a  dirty,  shiftless,  set.  the  men  of  the  tribe  eking  out  a  precarious 
living  by  hunting  and  fishing,  while  the  women  broke  the  sod,  built 
the  'pony  fences,'  and  raised  paltry  cro])s  of  coi-n.  They  were  given 
to  begging  most  importunately,  if  not  to  stealing  from  their  white 
neighbors;  their  villages  or  encampments,  of  which  there  were  several 
within  our  present  county  limits,  formed  rendezvous,  especially  on 
Sundays,  for  the  idle  and  vicious,  where  horse  trading  and  liquor 
drinking  went  on.  much  as  in  later  days  at  a  gipsy  camp.  So  destitute 
of  any  element  of  poetry  or  romance  were  the  last  days  of  the  red 
man  in  this  region,  and  their  trails,  their  corn  pits,  and  the  graves 
of  their  dead  were  the  legacies  they  left  us  when  they  took  up  their 
enforced  march  west  of  the  Mississippi  about  183.5-3(5." 

THE  AVINNEBAGO 

Originally  this  tribe  belonged  to  the  Siouan  family,  but  far  back 
in  the  past  they  became  allied  with  the  Algonquian  tribes  living  about 
the  Great  Lakes,  and  some  ethnologists  class  them  as  being  one  of 
tiie  iMgonquian  tribes.  They  are  first  mentioned  in  history  as  early 
as  l(i()l).  wlien  they  were  allied  with  the  Pottawatonii,  Chippewa,  Sac 
and  Fox  and  other  members  of  the  Algonquian  group. 

In  the  Revolutionary  war  some  of  the  Winnebago  fought  with 
the  Rritish.  and  in  the  summer  of  179-i  some  took  i)art  in  the  battle 


44  HISTOllV  OF  STAllK  COUNTY 

of  Falk'ii  Tiiiihers  against  the  white  forces  coininaiided  by  Gen. 
^Viithuny  Wayne.  A  few  were  en<>a<>'e(l  in  the  battle  of  Tippecanoe 
in  Novenibei",  1811,  and  witii  the  I'ottavvatomi  were  active  in  the 
massacre  at  Fort  Dearborn  (now  Chicago)  in  1812.  Shortly  after 
that  tiiey  located  in  that  part  of  Illinois  lying  north  and  west  of  the 
Hock  Kiver,  tliongh  they  frecinently  visited  their  Pottawatonii  breth- 
ren farther  south,  and  it  is  quite  likely  that  some  of  them  passed 
through  Stark  County.  They  were  friendly  to  Black  Hawk  at  the 
time  of  his  mvasion  of  Illinois  in  18.'32,  though  it  was  through  the 
treachery  of  two  members  of  the  tribe  tliat  Black  Hawk  was  captured. 
Not  long  after  that  they  were  given  the  strip  known  as  the  "neutral 
ground"  in  Iowa  for  a  reservation  in  excliange  for  their  lands  east  of 
the  INIississippi.  They  intermarried  freely  with  the  Sacs  and  Foxes 
and  were  closely  allied  to  those  tribes. — so  closely  in  fact  that  some 
of  the  last  treaties  made  by  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  were  submitted  to 
the  ^Vinnebago  chiefs  and  head  men  before  they  became  effective. 

The  foregoing  includes  probably  all  the  Indian  tribes  that  inliab- 
ited  or  hunted  over  that  part  of  Illinois  now  included  in  Stark  County. 
As  the  march  of  civilization  proceeded  westward  the  Indian  retired 
before  the  superior  race,  and  about  all  that  is  left  as  a  reminder  of 
their  former  occupation  of  the  country  are  the  names  of  certain 
streams  and  towns  which  ai-e  of  unquestionable  Indian  origin.  The 
county  seat  of  Gallatin  County,  in  the  southern  part  of  the  state, 
bears  the  name  of  Shawneetown.  in  memory  of  the  Indian  tribe  that 
once  liA-ed  in  that  region.  Kaskaskia.  Kandolj)))  County;  Cahokia, 
St.  Clair  County;  Tamaroa,  Perry  County;  and  the  city  and  county 
of  Peoria  all  bear  names  of  minor  tribes  of  the  great  Illinois  confed- 
eracy, and  Indian  Creek,  in  Stark  County,  marks  the  site  of  the  Potta- 
watomies'  old  hunting  grounds. 


chapter  iv 
tup:  period  of  phepakation 

EARIA'     EXPLOKATIOXS     IX      AMERICA SPANISH,     FRENCH      ANH     ENG- 

IJSH     CLAIMS    TO    TERRITORY     IN     THE    NEW    WORLD — THE    JESUIT 

.AIISSIONARIES — DISCOVERY    OF    THE    MISSISSIPPI MARQUETTE    AND 

JOIJET LA    SALLE's   EXPEDITIONS LOUISIANA CROZAT    AND    LAW 

— THE  MISSISSIPPI  BUBBLE — CONFLICT  OF  INTERESTS — FRENCH  AND 

INDIAN    WAR — H.LIXOIS   A    BRITISH    POSSESSION THE    WAR    OF   THE 

REVOLUTION CLARK's    CONQUEST    OF    THE    NORTHWEST ILLINOIS 

UXDER  VARIOUS  JURISDICTIONS — ADMITTED  AS  A  STATE EVOLUTION 

OF  STARK  COUNTY RECAPITULATION. 

Eastiat.  thv  eminent  Freneh  writei-  on  political  economy,  once 
wrote  an  essay  entitled  "The  Seen  and  the  Unseen."  People  of  the 
present  generation  see  the  conditions  around  them,  hut  they  are  not 
always  so  well  acquainted  with  the  conditions  of  former  years,  and 
therefore  do  not  fully  appreciate  the  influence  of  the  ])ast  upon  the 
])resent.  Civilization  is  the  outgrowth  of  a  gradual  evolution.  Stark 
County,  like  all  the  political  suhdivisions  of  the  Lhiited  States,  is  the 
])r()(luet  of  a  series  of  events  running  hack  for  many  years.  The 
part  of  each  event  may  have  heen  small,  hut  tlie  gradual  development 
constitutes  the  "unseen"  history  of  the  county.  It  is  therefore  deemed 
ad\isaiile  to  devote  a  chapter  to  this  subject,  in  order  that  the  reader 
may  he  able  to  form  some  general  idea  of  the  evolution  of  the  State  of 
Illinois  and  the  County  of  vStark. 

In  14!).'J.  the  year  iollow  ing  the  first  voyage  of  Columbus  to 
America,  the  pojjc  granted  to  the  King  and  Queen  of  Spain  "all 
countries  inhabited  by  infidels."  At  that  time  the  extent  of  the  conti- 
nent (liseovered  by  Columbus  was  not  known,  but  in  a  vague  way  this 
papal  grant  included  the  present  State  of  Illinois,  the  region  then 
inhabited  by  Indian  tribes  who  knew  not  the  religion  of  the  Catholic 
Church,  and  therefore  came  within  the  categoiy  of  infidels. 

Three  years  later  Henry  Xll  of  England  granted  to  John  Cabot 
and  his  sons  a  patent  of  discovery,  possession  and  trade  "to  all  lands 

45 


J6  II  IS  TORY  OF  STAKK  COUNTY 

they  may  discover  and  lay  claim  to  in  the  name  of  the  Knglish  crown." 
Before  the  close  of  the  century  the  Cahots  had  made  exjjlorations 
aloni>'  the  Atlantic  coast  from  Cape  Ilatteras  northward,  and  their 
discoveries  formed  the  hasis  of  England's  claim  to  all  the  central  por- 
tion of  North  America. 

While  Spain  was  pushing  her  explorations  through  the  West 
Inches  and  along  the  coast  of  the  (iulf  of  ^Mexico,  and  Kngland  was 
oi)erating  along  the  xVtlantic  seahoard  farther  north,  the  French  Gov- 
ernment sent  Jacques  Cartier  on  an  expedition  to  the  New  World. 
He  discovered  and  laid  claim  to  the  Valley  of  the  St.  Lawrence  River 
and  the  country  ahout  the  Great  I^akes,  from  which  hase  the  French 
suhse(iuently  pushed  their  explorations  and  claims  westward  to  the 
JNIississippi  River  and  southward  into  the  Ohio  Valley. 

Following  the  usage  of  that  jjcriod,  each  of  these  three  great  Euro- 
])ean  nations  claimed  title  to  certain  territory  "by  right  of  discovery." 
Spain's  2)apal  grant  was  strengtliened  by  the  expedition  of  Hernando 
de  Soto  into  the  interior  in  1.54U-i2,  one  result  of  whicli  was  the  dis- 
covery of  the  Mississippi  River.  De  Soto  died  in  the  wilds  and  his 
body  was  buried  in  the  great  river.  The  few  survivors,  after  many 
hardships,  finally  reached  the  Sjianish  colony  at  St.  Augustine  and 
upon  their  report  Spain,  in  1.54.;j.  claimed  all  the  land  bordering  upon 
the  iMississippi  as  well  as  the  gulf  coast.  In  this  way  what  is  now  the 
State  of  Illinois  became  Spanish  territory. 

In  1()20  the  Eritisli  crown,  ignoring  the  authority  of  the  pope 
and  the  explorations  of  De  Soto,  issued  a  charter  to  the  Plymoutli 
Company  including  "all  the  lands  between  the  fortieth  and  forty- 
eighth  parallels  of  north  latitude  from  sea  to  sea."  The  southern 
l)oundary  of  this  grant  crossed  Illinois  about  fifteen  miles  north  of  the 
present  city  of  Springfield,  and  wliat  is  now  Stark  County  was  there- 
fore included  in  the  old  Plymouth  Company  grant. 

Eight  years  later  (in  1(;2S)  the  ^lassacliusetts  Bay  Company 
received  a  grant  that  included  a  strip  of  land  al>out  one  Inmdred  miles 
Avide  "extending  from  sea  to  sea."  The  northern  boundary  of  this 
stri])  crossed  tiie  Mississippi  River  not  far  from  tlie  present  city  of 
Prairie  du  Chien.  Wis.,  and  the  southern  crossed  the  State  of 
Illinois  about  ten  miles  north  of  the  noi-th  line  of  Stark  County.  Thus 
at  least  a  part  of  the  state  was  claimed  by  both  Spain  and  England 
"by  right  of  discovery."  but  no  effort  was  made  by  either  nation  to 
extend  colonization  into  the  interior.  S])ain  was  so  busily  engaged  in 
the  search  for  the  rumored  rich  gold  and  silver  mines  that  she  paid  but 
little  attention  to  the  establishment  of  permanent  settlements,  whil^ 


1 


HISTORY  OF  STAKK  COUNTY  47 

the  English  were  apparently  content  with  tlie  little  colonies  at  James- 
town. Vii.,  and  in  Xew  England. 

^leantinie  the  l<'rench  were  not  idle.  Quebec  was  fouiuled  by 
Samuel  Champlain  in  1608,  only  one  year  after  the  English  colony 
was  planted  at  Jamestown.  In  KH  I  Jesuit  missionaries  from  Quebec 
visited  the  Indian  tribes  living  about  the  Great  I>akes,  and  in  l(>ir> 
a  French  explorer  named  Le  Caron  \isited  the  country  of  the  Huron 
and  Inuiuois  tribes.  The  reports  of  Le  Caron  and  the  missionaries 
C(in\iiieed  the  r'rencii  authorities  that  it  was  possible  to  open  up  a 
jM-otitable  trade  with  the  natives,  particularly  in  furs,  and  explorations 
were  pushed  still  farther  westward.  In  KJ.'U  Jean  Nicollet  reached 
the  Fox  River  country,  in  what  is  now  the  State  of  ^Visconsin.  For 
more  than  half  a  century,  however,  after  the  founding  of  Quebec, 
no  systematic  eff'ort  was  made  to  establish  anything  like  a  colony  in 
the  (ireat  Lake  basin. 

In  the  fall  of  KHi.j  Claude  xVllouez,  one  of  the  most  zealous  of  the 
Jesuit  missionaries,  held  a  council  with  the  Indians  at  the  Chippewa 
village  on  the  southern  shore  of  Lake  Superior.  Chiefs  of  tiie  Sioux, 
Chippewa,  Sac,  Fox,  Pottawatomi  and  Illinois  tribes  were  present 
and  to  them  and  their  jjcople  Alloue/.  promised  the  j^rotection  of  the 
great  French  father,  thus  opening  the  way  for  the  establishment  of 
trading  posts  in  the  Indian  country.  Some  of  the  Sioux  and  Illinois 
chiefs  told  .Alloue/,  of  a  great  river  farther  to  the  westward,  "called  bj^ 
them  the  ^le-sa-sip-pi,  which  they  said  no  white  man  had  yet  seen 
(they  knew  nothing  of  the  expedition  of  Ue  Soto),  and  along  which 
fur  bearing  animals  abounded." 

This  same  Fa4:her  Allouez  and  another  missionary  named  Claude 
Dablon  founded  the  JNIission  of  St.  jNIarys — the  first  white  settlement 
in  Michigan — in  lOCtH.  Friendly  relations  were  soon  established 
between  the  people  of  the  mission  and  the  neighboring  Indians.  In 
1(J71  Jac(jues  INIarquette,  one  of  the  most  influential  of  the  Jesuit 
missionai'ies  in  Aniei'ica.  founded  the  Mission  of  Point  St.  Ignace, 
near  the  present  city  of  INIackinaw,  for  the  benefit  of  the  Huron 
Indians.  For  many  years  this  mission  was  considered  as  the  key  to 
the  great,  unexplored  West. 

Father  .Marquette  had  first  heard  of  the  great  river  through  the 
report  given  bj"  Allouez  of  the  coimcil  held  at  the  Chippewa  village 
in  IfU!.).  and  as  time  passed  he  grew  more  desirous  of  verifying  the 
Indian  accounts  of  its  existence.  Fearing  hostility,  or  at  least  opposi- 
tion, on  the  part  of  the  natives,  he  made  no  attempt  to  reach  the  river 
until  after  the  founding  of  the  mission  at  Point  St.  Ignace.     Some 


48  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

time  was  then  sixnt  in  making  his  preparations  and  in  obtaining  the 
consent  of  the  Canadian  colonial  officials.  In  the  spring  of  1073, 
armed  with  the  proper  credentials,  he  went  to  Michilimackinac  to 
com])Iete  his  final  arrangements  for  the  expedition.  It  is  said  that  the 
friendly  Indians,  w^ien  they  learned  of  his  intention,  tried  to  dissuade 
him  from  the  undertaking  by  telling  him  that  the  Indians  who  lived 
alonsi'  the  great  river  were  cruel  and  treacherous,  and  that  the  river 
itself  was  the  abiding  place  of  great  monsters  that  could  easily  swal- 
low a  canoe  loaded  with  men. 

Giving  no  credence  to  the  horrible  stories,  JNIarquette  continued 
his  work  of  preparation  and  on  ^Nlay  13.  1673,  accompanied  by  Louis 
Joliet.  an  explorer  and  trader,  and  five  voyageurs,  with  two  large 
canoes,  the  little  expedition  left  the  mission. 

DISCOVERY   OF   THE   MISSISSIPPI 

Passing  up  Green  Bay  to  the  mouth  of  the  Fox  River,  they 
ascended  that  stream  to  the  portage,  crossed  over  to  the  Wisconsin 
River  and  drifted  down  that  stream  in  the  belief  and  hope  that  it 
emptied  into  the  great  river  of  which  they  were  in  search.  Xor  were 
their  hopes  idle  and  their  belief  without  foundation.  On  the  morning 
of  June  17,  1673,  a  little  over  a  month  from  the  time  they  left  Point 
St.  Ignace,  their  canoes  floated  out  upon  the  broad  bosom  of  the  Mis- 
sissipi)i.  Turning  their  canoes  down  the  mighty  stream,  a  few  days 
later  they  came  to  what  is  now  the  State  of  Illinois,  opposite  the  city 
of  Dubuque,  Iowa,  and  were  probably  the  first  white  men  to  see  the 
western  part  of  the  state. 

On  their  way  down  the  river  ^Marquette  and  Joliet  visited  some  of 
the  villages  of  the  Illinois  Indians  in  Southeastern  Iowa,  after  which 
they  continued  their  voyage  until  they  met  with  a  tribe  of  Indians 
whose  language  they  coidd  not  understand,  when  they  retraced  their 
steps  and  returned  to  the  French  settlements  about  IMichilimackinac. 
They  had  been  absent  about  four  months  and  had  traveled  about  two 
thousand  five  hundred  miles,  through  an  unknown  region,  anchoring 
at  night  in  mid-stream  to  prevent  attacks  by  foes,  and  to  avoid  any 
rocks  or  rapids  that  might  be  in  the  river. 

Joliet  was  a  good  topographer  and  prepared  a  map  of  the  countrj'^ 
through  which  he  and  jNIarquette  had  passed.  The  reiJorts  of  their 
voyage,  when  presented  to  the  French  authorities,  made  the  knowledge 
of  the  ]Mississippi's  existence  certain  and  it  was  not  long  until  a  move- 
ment was  started  to  claim  the  countrv  drained  bv  it  for  France. 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  49 

LA    SAI.LK's   expeditions 

Robert  Cavalier,  Sieur  tie  la  Salle,  in  \(\7i.  was  granted  the 
seigneury  of  Fort  I'rontenac,  where  the  eity  of  Kingston,  Canada, 
is  now  located,  and  on  ]May  12,  1078,  Louis  XIV,  then  King  of 
France,  granted  him  a  permit  to  continue  the  explorations  of  Mar- 
quette  and  Joliet,  "tind  a  port  for  the  king's  ships  in  the  (iulf  of 
3Iexico,  discover  the  western  parts  of  New  France,  and  find  a  \\ay 
to  penetrate  Mexico." 

Nicholas  Perrot  had  already  made  some  explorations  in  the  Illinois 
country  in  l()71:"the  missionaries  Allouez  and  Dablon  visited  the  Illi- 
nois Indians  in  1(572;  and  in  1073  Father  ^Nlaniuette  ascended  the 
Illinois  and  Desplaines  rivers.  The  information  gained  from  the 
reports  of  these  early  explorers  led  La  Salle  to  select  the  Illinois 
River  route  as  the  best  way  to  reach  the  Mississippi.  His  first  attemj)t 
ended  in  failure,  chiefly  because  his  preparations  had  not  been  care- 
fullv  made.  As  his  desire  was  to  explore  the  great  river  from  its 
source  to  its  mouth,  he  sent  Father  Louis  Hennepin  in  1680  to  lead 
an  expedition  from  the  mouth  of  the  Illinois  River  to  the  headwaters 
of  the  Mississippi,  and  in  April  of  that  year  Heimei)in  reached  the 
Falls  of  St.  Anthony,  where  the  City  of  Minneapolis,  Minnesota,  now 
stands. 

Late  in  December,  1681,  La  Salle,  accompanied  by  his  lieutenant, 
Henri  de  Tonti;  .Taccivies  de  la  ]Metairie,  a  notary;  Jean  ^Michel,  a 
surgeon;  Father  Zenobe  31endjre,  a  Recollet  missionary,  and  "a  num- 
ber of  Frenchmen  carrying  arms,"  started  upon  the  second  expedi- 
tion to  the  mouth  of  the  JMississipjji.  After  a  weary  journey  in  the 
dead  of  winter,  they  arrived  at-  Peoria  Lake  on  January  2.3,  1082. 
La  Salle  had  reached  this  ])oint  about  two  years  before,  and  had  here 
built  Fort  Creveeoeur  (liroken  Heart),  so  named  because  it  was  here 
he  had  been  forced  to  abandon  his  first  expedition.  A  short  rest  was 
taken  at  the  old  fort  and  on  February  (>,  1082,  the  whole  party  reached 
the  mouth  of  the  Illinois.  Here  another  halt  of  a  week  was  made 
until  the  Indian  members  of  the  expedition  came  up,  their  progress 
having  been  impeded  by  the  heavy  snow  and  ice.  On  the  13th  the 
canoes  started  down  the  Mississippi  and  on  i\])ril  S.  1(582,  I^a  Salle 
and  Tonti  jjassed  through  two  of  the  channels  that  led  to  the  (iulf  of 
Mexico.  The  next  day  La  Salle  formally  took  possession  of  all  the 
country  drained  by  the  great  river  and  its  ti'ibutaries  in  the  name  of 
France,  and  conferred  upon  it  the  name  of  Louisiana,  in  lionor  of 
Louis  XIV,  the  French  king.  Under  this  claim  Illinois  became  a 
dependency  of  France. 


50  HISTORY^  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

Before  the  close  of  the  year  1682  settlements  were  established  by 
the  French  at  Kaskaskia  and  Cahokia — the  oldest  settlements  on  the 
INlississippi  River.  A  little  later  settlements  or  trading  posts  were 
established  at  Fort  Chartres,  Prairie  du  Rocher,  Prairie  du  Pont  and 
Peoria.  To  the  French  therefore  belongs  the  honor  of  founding  the 
first  settlements  within  the  limits  of  the  present  State  of  Illinois. 

It  is  not  surprising  that  in  time  a  conflict  of  interests  arose  among 
the  English,  French  and  Spanish.  Spain  claimed  the  interior  of  the 
continent  by  virtue  of  De  Soto's  discovery  of  the  ]Mississippi  River. 
England  had  sent  no  expeditions  into  the  interior,  but  upon  the  dis- 
coveries made  by  the  Cahots  claimed  the  country  "from  sea  to  sea." 
Neither  Sjiain  nor  England  made  any  attempt  to  found  settlements 
in  the  ^Mississippi  Valley.  The  claim  of  La  Salle  was  acknowledged 
by  other  European  nations  after  some  dispute  and  hesitation  and 
France  remained  in  control  of  the  great  valley  for  more  than  three- 
quarters  of  a  century.  At  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth  centiuy 
the  English  settlements  occupied  the  Atlantic  coast  from  INlaine  to 
Georgia;  Spain  was  in  possession  of  the  Peninsula  of  Florida  and  that 
part  of  the  Gulf  coast  not  included  in  Louisiana:  and  France  held 
the  Valley  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  the  Great  Lake  Basin  and  the 
Mississippi  Valley. 

In  1712  the  French  Government  granted  to  Antoine  Crozat,  a 
wealthy  merchant  of  Paris,  a  charter  giving  him  exclusive  control  of 
the  Louisiana  trade  under  certain  conditions.  But  when  his  agents 
arrived  in  the  Gulf  of  ^Mexico  they  found  the  Spanish  ports  closed  to 
Crozat's  ships,  for  Spain,  while  recognizing  France's  claim  to  Loui- 
siana, as  based  upon  the  discovery  of  La  Salle,  A\as  jealous  of  French 
ambitions.  xAfter  five  years,  tired  of -constantly  combating  the  Spanisli 
ojiposition  and  other  difKculties,  Crozat  surrendered  his  charter. 

Crozat  was  succeeded  by  the  INIississijjpi  Company,  which  A\as 
organized  by  John  I^aw  as  a  branch  of  the  Bank  of  France.  In  1718 
Law^  sent  about  eight  hundred  colonists  to  Louisiana  and  the  next 
year  Philipe  Renault  went  up  the  ]Mississippi  to  the  Illinois  country 
with  about  two  himdred  colonists.  He  reestablished  the  settlement 
at  Kaskaskia  and  laid  the  foundations  of  the  settlements  at  Prairie  du 
Rocher  and  Prairie  du  Pont.  Law  AA-as  a  good  promoter,  but  a  poor 
executive.  In  1720  his  whole  scheme  collajised  and  so  dismal  was  the 
failure  that  his  company  is  known  in  history  as  the  "^Nlississijjpi  Bub- 
ble." In  1730  the  white  i)opulation  of  the  French  settlements  in  the 
Illinois  country  was  about  three  hundred  and  fifty,  and  in  1732  Law 
surrendered  his  charter  and  Louisiana  again  became  a  French  crown 
province. 


lilSTOUV  OF  STAUK  COLNTV  51 

l-'KEXCir    AND    INDIAN    AVAR 

111  the  iiicaiitinif  the  English  had  l)eeii  gnulually  ])iishiiig  the 
frontier  of  their  eivihzation  farther  westward.  As  early  as  1()(>7  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company  had  been  organized  and  its  trappers  and  trad- 
ers passed  freely  among  the  Indian  tribes  around  the  Great  Lakes  and 
in  the  Upper  .Mississippi  \'alley,  despite  the  French  claim  to  the 
territory  and  oblivious  to  the  French  protests  against  their  trespasses. 
The  attack  of  the  Fox  Indians  on  the  French  post  at  Detroit  in  1712 
was  incited  by  the  English  traders.  iVgain  in  1730  the  English  and 
Dutch  traders  infiuenced  some  of  the  tril)es  to  make  war  on  the  French 
in  the  hope  of  driving  them  from  the  country.  The  first  open  rupture 
between  France  and  England  did  not  come  until  17.53,  when  the 
former  began  the  establishment  of  a  line  of  forts  from  the  Great 
Lakes  to  the  Ohio  Kiver,  for  the  pur])osc  of  holding  back  the  threat- 
ened English  occupation  of  the  Ohio  \'alley.  The  French  claimed 
that  the  Allegheny  JNIountains  formed  a  natural  boundary,  west  of 
whieli  the  British  had  no  right  to  pass.  One  of  the  French  forts  was 
located  upon  land  claimed  by  Virginia,  and  (Governor  Dinwiddie  of 
that  colony  sent  George  ^Vashington,  then  just  turned  twenty-one,  to 
demand  of  the  French  commandant  an  explanation  of  this  invasion 
of  English  territory  while  the  nations  were  at  peace.  The  reply  A\as 
unsatisfactory,  not  to  say  insolent,  and  in  1754  Washington  was  sent 
into  the  disputed  territory  with  a  detachment  of  troo])s.  having  been 
promoted  to  lieutenant-colonel. 

Some  years  before  this  a  charter  had  been  granted  by  the  British 
Government  to  an  association  called  the  Ohio  Company.  The  charter 
carried  with  it  a  large  tract  of  country  and  the  right  to  trade  with  the 
Indians  on  the  Great  Miami  River.  In  17.50  the  Ohio  Company  built 
a  fort  and  opened  a  trading  post  near  the  site  of  the  present  Citj^  of 
Piqua.  Ohio.  The  Canadian  authorities,  regarding  this  as  an  en- 
croachment upon  French  territory,  sent  a  body  of  soldiers  and  Indians 
to  break  up  the  post.  The  Ohio  Com]iany  then  began  a  ne\v  ]K>st  at 
the  head  of  the  Ohio  River,  where  the  City  of  Pittsi)urgli  is  now- 
located,  but  again  they  were  driven  away  by  the  French.  Part  of 
Washington's  instructions  in  175-1  was  "to  complete  the  fort  already 
commenced  by  the  Ohio  Comi)any  at  the  forks  of  the  Ohio,  and  to 
capture,  kill  or  drive  out  all  who  attem])te(l  to  interfere  with  the 
English  posts." 

.Vn  order  of  this  kind  naturally  aroused  the  indignation  of  the 
French  and  in  Mav,  17.5().  that  nation  formallv  declared  war  against 


52  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

England.  The  conflict  that  followed  is  known  in  American  history 
as  the  "French  and  Indian  war,"  which  in  the  end  had  a  great  iniluence 
upon  the  history  of  the  Illinois  country.  After  keeping  the  Indian 
tribes  and  Ajnerican  colonies  in  a  state  of  tvn-nioil  for  several  years, 
the  war  was  concluded  by  the  treaty  of  Fontainebleau  on  November 
3,  17()2,  by  which  France  ceded  that  ])art  of  Louisiana  lying  east  of 
the  ^Mississippi  River  (except  the  City  of  New  Orleans  and  the  island 
upon  which  it  is  situated)  to  Great  Britain.  The  treaty  was  ratified 
by  the  treaty  of  Paris  on  February  10.  1768,  and  on  the  same  day  it 
was  announced  that,  by  an  agreement  jireviously  made  in  secret,  all 
that  part  of  Louisiana  lying  west  of  the  ^Nlississijjpi  was  ceded  to 
Sjjain.  Through  the  operation  of  these  two  treaties  the  jurisdiction 
of  France  came  to  an  end  in  what  is  now  the  LTnited  States  and 
Illinois  became  a  British  jjossession. 

]Many  of  the  French  subjects  living  east  of  the  INIississippi  refused 
to  acknowledge  allegiance  to  Cireat  Britain  ami  removed  to  the  west 
side  of  the  river.  When  the  English  colonies  in  America  became  in- 
volved in  war  with  the  JNIother  Country  in  177.>,  a  large  number  of  the 
French,  who  had  formerly  lived  in  Illinois,  recrossed  the  river  and 
joined  the  colonists  in  their  struggle  for  independence. 

Clark's  conquest  of  the  northwest 

In  the  territory  acquired  by  England  by  the  treaty  of  1763,  several 
posts  had  been  established  by  the  French,  prior  to  the  cession.  Near 
the  present  City  of  East  St.  Louis  was  Cahokia.  Forty-five  miles 
down  the  river  was  St.  Philippe.  A  few  miles  below  St.  Philippe  were 
Prairie  du  Rocher  and  Nouvelle  Chartres  (on  the  site  of  the  old  fort 
of  that  name),  and  a  little  farther  south  was  Kaskaskia.  On  the 
Wabash  River,  in  what  is  now  the  State  of  Indiana,  were  the  posts  of 
Ouiatenon  and  Vincennes,  and  still  farther  north  was  Detroit,  the 
most  important  post  of  all.  These  posts  Avere  occupied  by  the  British 
at  the  beginning  of  the  Revolutionary  war. 

In  1777  George  Rogers  Clark,  a  colonel  of  the  Virginia  line,  sent 
two  spies — Samuel  INIoore  and  Benjamin  Liim — into  the  Illinois 
country  disguised  as  hunters  to  ascertain  the  conditions  there.  LTpon 
their  return  they  reported  the  population  of  Cahokia  as  300  whites  and 
100  negroes;  that  a  few  French  families  Avere  living  at  St.  Philijjpe 
and  Prairie  du  Rocher;  that  Kaskaskia  consisted  of  eighty  houses, 
500  white  inhabitants  and  nearly  as  many  negroes;  that  in  none  of  the 
posts  was  the  garrison  very  strong,  and  that  many  of  the  French 
inhabitants  were  friendly  to  the  American  cause. 


HISTORY  OF  STAllK  COUXTY  53 

Armed  with  this  inloriiiation,  Chirk  Merit  before  the  Viroinia 
Assembly  and  presented  a  phm  for  the  overthrow  of  British  power  in 
the  Mississippi  Valley.  On  Jannary  2,  1778,  the  Assembly  voted 
£1,200  to  defray  the  expenses  of  the  expedition  and  the  same  day 
Governor  Patriek  Henry  gave  Colonel  Clark  seeret  instruetions  au- 
thori/ing  him  to  raise  seven  companies  of  fifty  men  each,  ol)tain  boats 
at  Fort  Pitt  (Pittsburgh)  for  the  transportation  of  troops,  ammmii- 
tion  and  supplies  down  the  Ohio  River,  "and  during  the  whole  trans- 
aetion  you  are  to  take  especial  care  to  kee])  the  true  destination  of 
your  forces  secret.  ' 

Clark  raised  but  four  of  the  seven  companies.  These  four,  com- 
manded by  Captains  John  Montgomery,  Joseph  Bowman,  Leonard 
Helm  and  \Villiam  Ilarrod,  rendezvoused  on  Corn  Island,  in  the  Ohio 
Ri\er,  not  far  from  the  present  City  of  Louisville,  Kentucky.  On 
June  24,  1778,  the  little  ai-my  left  the  island  and  droi)i)ed  down  the 
Ohio,  Clark's  intention  beiirg  to  ascend  the  \\'abash  and  attack  the 
])ost  at  ^^incennes  first.  Circumstances  caused  him  to  change  his  plan 
and  begin  his  campaign  at  Kaskaskia.  Leaving  the  boats  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Tennessee  Rivei-,  Clark  marched  his  force  across  the 
country  to  Kaskaskia,  which  place  was  captured  without  opposition 
on  the  night  of  Jidy  4,  1778. 

The  inhabitants  were  treated  with  every  consideration  and  some 
of  them  joined  Captain  Bowman,  who  was  sent  up  the  river  Avith  his 
com])any  to  capture  the  post  at  Cahokia.  Here  another  bloodless 
victory  was  won  and  the  inhabitants  cheerfully  took  the  oath  of  alle- 
giance to  Virginia.  Clark  then  commenced  his  preparations  for  the 
reduction  of  the  ])ost  at  Vincennes.  Father  Pierre  (ribault,  who  liad 
been  in  charge  of  the  parishes  between  the  Wabash  and  ^Mississippi 
rivers  for  ten  years,  volunteered  to  bring  the  people  of  A'incennes 
over  to  the  American  interests  without  any  military  demonstration, 
provided  his  name  should  not  be  used  openly  in  the  transaction  and 
that  Dr.  Jean  Baptiste  LafFont,  a  ])hysician  of  Kaskaskia.  might  be 
cliarged  with  the  temporal  i)art  of  the  mission. 

The  priest  anil  the  doctor,  with  tlieir  attendants,  left  Kaskaskia 
on  the  14th  of  July,  with  an  address  to  the  ])co])le  of  Vincennes  au- 
thorizing them  to  garrison  their  own  town.  etc.  They  succeeded  in 
their  embassy  and  Clark  placed  the  post  under  the  command  of  Capt. 
Leonard  Helm,  who  was  also  appointed  Indian  agent  for  the  dcjiart- 
ment  of  the  Wabash. 

So  far  everything  had  worked  well  and  Clark  had  succeeded  be- 
yond his  most  sanguine  expectations.     But  late  in  the  fall  Henry 


54  HISTUllV  OF  STAllK  COUNTY 

Hamilton,  the  British  lieutenant-governor  at  Detroit,  eolleeted  a  force 
of  thirty  regulars,  fifty  French  volunteers  and  400  Indians,  with 
which  he  descended  the  Wabash  and  on  December  1.5,  1778,  recap- 
tured the  post  at  Vincennes.  No  attempt  was  made  by  the  inhabitants 
to  defend  the  place.  They  were  disarmed  and  Captain  Helm  wa.s 
detained  as  a  prisoner  of  war.  When  this  unfortunate  event  occurred 
Clark  was  making  his  preparations  for  his  advance  upon  13etroit,  but 
now  he  deemed  it  more  important  to  take  and  hold  Vincennes. 

On  January  29,  1779,  Francis  Vigo,  a  Spanish  merchant  who  liad 
been  at  Vincennes,  arrived  at  Kaskaskia  and  gave  Clark  the  informa- 
tion that  Hamilton  had  weakened  his  garrison  by  sending  his  Indians 
against  the  frontier  settlements:  that  the  garrison  did  not  number 
more  than  seventy-tive  or  eighty  men,  and  that  the  plan  was  to  have 
the  Indians  gather  at  Vincennes  eai-ly  in  the  spring  for  the  purpose 
of  driving  the  Virginians  from  Kaskaskia  and  Cahokia.  Ui^on  learn- 
ing these  things  Clark  realized  that  there  was  no  time  to  be  lost.  On 
February  4,  1779,  Capt.  John  Rogers  and  forty-six  men  embarked 
on  a  large  keel-boat,  with  two  four-pounders  and  four  swivels  and  a 
su])ply  of  ammunition  and  provisions,  under  instructions  to  drop  down 
the  ^lississippi  and  ascend  the  Ohio  and  AVabash  rivers  with  all  sjiecd 
jiossible,  while  Clark,  with  the  remainder  of  his  force  and  some  French 
volunteers  marched  across  the  country. 

Crossing  the  Kaskaskia  River,  Clark  followed  the  old  trail  be- 
tween the  two  posts  imtil  he  reached  the  Embarrass  River,  near  the 
present  City  of  Lawrenceville,  where  the  flooded  condition  of  the 
country  caused  him  to  change  his  course  and  he  struck  the  \A'abash 
River  about  ten  miles  below  the  post.  The  march  was  one  of  great 
hardshijis.  the  men  often  wading  in  water  up  to  their  waists  and  the 
rations  were  limited  for  the  greater  portion  of  the  march.  Notwith- 
standing all  the  obstacles,  on  the  morning  of  February  18,  1779,  they 
were  near  enough  to  the  fort  to  hear  Hamilton's  morning  gun.  Three 
days  later,  two  canoes  having  been  found,  the  men  were  ferried  over 
the  ^Vabash  not  far  from  the  j^resent  Town  of  St.  Francisville. 

In  his  account  of  the  expedition  Clark  says:  "Our  fate  was  now 
to  be  determined,  probably  in  a  few  hours.  We  knew  that  nothing  Init 
the  most  daring  conduct  would  insure  success."  Confident  that  some 
of  the  inhabitants  were  friendly  to  the  American  cause,  and  believing 
that  he  had  some  friends  among  the  Indians,  Clark  inaugurated  his 
"daring  conduct"  polic_y  by  writing  the  following  address: 


IIISTORV  OF  STARK  COUNTY  55 

"To  the  Inhabitants  of  Post  Viiicennes: 

"Gentlemen — Bein,i>'  now  within  two  miles  of  your  villa<);e,  with 
my  army,  determined  to  takeyoui-  fort  this  night,  and  not  heini>-  \villiiii>- 
to  surprise  you,  I  take  this  method  to  request  sueh  of  you  as  are  true 
eiti/ens  and  willing  to  enjoy  the  liberty  I  brin<)-  you.  to  remain  still  in 
your  houses.  And  those,  if  any  there  be.  that  are  friends  to  the  king-, 
will  instantly  repair  to  the  fort  and  join  the  hair-buyer  general,  and 
tight  like  men.  And  if  any  sueh  as  do  not  go  to  tlie  i'ort  shall  be  dis- 
covered afterwards,  they  may  depend  on  severe  punishment.  On  the 
contrary,  those  who  are  true  friends  to  liberty  may  depend  on  being- 
well  treated,  and  1  once  more  recpiest  them  to  keep  out  of  the  streets. 
For  every  one  I  find  in  arms  on  my  arrival  I  shall  treat  him  as  an 
enemy. 

"G.  R.  Claimv." 

After  sending  this  by  messenger,  Clark  l)egan  to  maneuvei-  his 
force  in  such  a  way  as  to  make  it  appear  much  more  formidable  then 
it  really  was.  A  few  horses  had  been  captured  from  some  hunters  near 
the  i)ost.  These  were  now  mounted  by  the  officers,  who  rode  about  in 
all  directions,  as  though  carrying  orders.  There  were  several  stands 
of  colors,  each  of  which  was  fixed  on  a  long  jjole  and  carried  so  that 
it  could  l)e  seen  above  the  top  of  one  of  the  ridges,  while  the  man  who 
carried  it  remained  out  of  view.  These  maneuvers  were  kept  up  until 
dark,  wiien  the  direction  of  the  ad\ance  was  suddenly  changed  and 
before  the  inhabitants  were  aware  of  what  was  taking  place  Clark  had 
gained  the  heights  back  of  the  village.  Lieutenant  liaylej'  advanced 
with  fourteen  men  and  opened  fire  upon  the  fort,  the  main  body  taking 
])ossession  of  the  town. 

\Vithout  going  into  details  regarding  the  events  of  the  next  forty- 
eight  lioin's,  early  on  the  morning  of  the  "i-ith  Clark  sent  the  following 
communication  to  Hamilton  under  a  flag  of  truce: 

"Sir:  In  order  to  save  yourself  from  the  impending  storm  that 
now  threatens  you,  I  order  you  immediately  to  surrender  yourself, 
\vith  all  your  garrison,  stores,  etc.  Foi-  if  I  am  obliged  to  storm, 
you  may  depend  on  such  treatment  as  is  justly  due  to  a  murderer. 
Beware  of  destroying  stores  of  any  kind,  or  any  jjapers  or  letters  that 
are  in  your  possession,  or  hurting  one  house  in  town — for,  by  Heavens ! 
if  you  do.  there  shall  be  no  mercy  shown  you. 

"G.  R.  Clakk." 

Hamilton  replied  that  he  and  his  garrison  were  not  disposed  "to 
be  awed  into  any  action  unworthy  British  subjects."  and  the  attack 


56  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUXTY 

on  the  fort  was  renewed.  Some  of  the  men  begged  to  be  permitted  to 
storm  the  fort,  but  Clark  knew  he  had  no  men  to  spare  and  kept  his 
solchers  from  exposing  themselves  as  much  as  possible.  In  the  after- 
noon Hamilton  asked  for  a  truce  for  three  days,  which  Clark  denied, 
and  even  refused  to  go  to  the  gate  of  the  fort  for  a  conference,  fearing 
treachery  on  the  part  of  the  British  commander,  who  liad  won  the 
appellation  of  "the  hair-buyer  general"  through  his  custom  of  paying- 
Indians  a  certain  price  for  American  scalps.  However,  Clark  offered 
to  meet  Hamilton  at  the  church,  some  eighty  yards  from  the  fort,  and 
requested  that  Captain  Helm,  who  was  still  a  prisoner,  be  present  at 
the  jjai-ley.  The  result  of  the  meeting  was  the  surrender  of  the  fort, 
with  all  its  stores  and  munitions  and  Clark  took  possession  at  10  o'clock 
the  next  morning.  Three  days  later  Hamilton  and  liis  troops  took 
their  departure  from  Vincennes.  During  the  siege  Clark  lost  one  man 
wounded,  while  the  British  casualties  amounted  to  seven  wounded. 

Virginia  claimed  the  territory  captured  by  Colonel  Clark  and  in 
October,  1778,  the  Legislature  of  that  colony  passed  an  act  providing 
tliat  the  conquered  region  should  comprise  the  "County  of  Illinois," 
of  A\hich  Col.  John  Todd  was  appointed  county  lieutenant  in  the 
spring  of  1779.  Soon  after  receiving  his  commission  Colonel  Todd 
visited  Vincennes  and  Kaskaskia  and  organized  in  each  place  a  tem- 
porary government,  in  accordance  witli  the  provisions  of  the  act 
creating  the  county. 

The  importance  of  Colonel  Clark's  conquest  can  hardly  be  over- 
estimated. By  the  treaty  of  Sei^tember  3,  1783.  which  ended  the 
Revolutionary  war.  the  western  boundary  of  the  United  States  \vas 
fixed  at  the  JNIississippi  River.  Had  it  not  been  for  the  action  of 
Colonel  Clark  and  his  little  band  of  heroes  in  driving  the  British  out 
of  tile  31ississip2)i  ^"alley,  the  chances  are  that  the  treaty  would  have 
applied  only  to  the  territory  included  in  the  thirteen  original  colonies, 
the  western  boundary  of  which  would  in  all  probability  have  been  fixed 
along  the  summit  of  the  Apj^alachian  ]Mountains,  and  the  interior  of 
the  continent  would  have  remained  an  English  possession.  In  1784. 
Virginia  relinquished  her  claim  to  the  region  and  Illinois  became 
territory  of  the  United  States.  By  the  Ordinance  of  1787  the  country 
ac(]uired  by  and  through  tlie  campaign  of  Colonel  Clark — lying  north 
and  west  of  the  Ohio  River — was  organized  as  the  Xoithwest 
Territory. 

In  1800  all  the  Northwest  Territory,  except  the  present  State  of 
Ohio,  was  erected  by  an  act  of  Congress  into  the  Territory  of  Indiana, 
of  M-Iiich  Illinois  formed  a  part.     On  February  3.  1809.  President 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  57 

Jeft'erisou  approved  tlic  act  uiaking  lUiiujis  a  separate  territory  and 
appointed  Xinian  Edwards  governor.  At  that  time  there  were  but 
two  organized  counties  within  tlie  present  state  limits — Randolph  and 
St.  Clair.  Immigration  itito  the  new  territory  was  ra])id  and  on  April 
18,  1818,  I'resident  Monroe  approved  the  "Enabling  Act,"  which 
authorized  the  people  of  Illinois  to  elect  delegates  to  a  constitutional 
convention  and  adopt  a  constitution,  preparatory  to  admission  into 
the  Union  as  a  state.  The  convention  assembled  at  Kaskaskia  in 
July,  the  constitution  was  ratitied  by  the  people  and  a])proved  by 
Congress,  and  on  IJecember  .'3.  1818,  Illinois  was  formally  admitted 
to  statehood.  The  two  counties  of  1809  have  been  multiplied  until 
there  are  now  102  counties  in  the  state.  Stark  became  a  separate  and 
independent  county  in  1839. 

Having  thus  briefly  traced  the  evolution  of  Stark  County,  step  by 
steji,  let  us  recapitulate.  In  1.543  the  territory  now  comprising  the 
comity  was  claimed  by  Spain.  Through  the  claim  of  La  Salle,  made 
on  ^Vpril  9,  1682,  it  was  included  in  I^ouisiana  and  became  a  part  of 
the  French  possessions  in  iVmerica.  Ry  the  treaty  of  February  10, 
17(i"J.  which  ended  the  French  ami  Indian  war,  it  was  ceded  to  Great 
Rritain  and  remained  a  dependency  of  that  government  until  the  re- 
duction of  the  Rritish  posts  by  George  Rogers  Clark  in  1778.  It  was 
then  a  part  of  ^"irginia  until  1784,  when  it  was  ceded  l)y  that  state  to 
the  United  States.  Ry  the  Ordinance  of  1787  it  was  made  a  part  of 
the  Northwest  Territory.  From  1800  to  1809  it  formed  a  part  of  the 
Territory'  of  Indiana.  It  was  then  included  in  the  Territory  of  Illi- 
nois, which  was  admitted  to  statehood  in  1818,  when  Stark  was  still 
lield  by  the  IndiaTis.  Ry  the  treaty  of  Chicago,  Se])tember  2(),  1833. 
the  IniUan  title  to  the  land  was  extinguished  and  the  white  man  came 
into  full  possession. 

What  were  once  the  hunting  grounds  of  the  Pottawatomi  Indians 
are  now  cultivated  fields.  Where  once  was  the  Indian  trail  is  now 
tile  railroad.  The  whistle  of  the  locomotive  has  sup])Ianted  the  war- 
whooj)  of  the  savage.  The  tepee  of  the  red  man  has  given  way  to  the 
schoolhouse  and  the  halls  of  legislation  have  taken  the  place  of  the 
trilial  council.  Indian  villages  have  disappeared  and  in  their  stead 
have  come  the  towns  of  civilization,  with  paved  streets,  electric  lights, 
public  libraries  and  all  the  evidences  of  modern  progress.  To  tell  the 
story  of  this  progress  is  the  aim  of  the  subsequent  chapters  of  this 
liistorv. 


CHAPTER  V 
SETTLEINIEXT  OF  STARK  COUXTY 

AX  01,I)  TKAUIXG  POST EA'ELAND  AND  KOSS ISAAC  B.  ESSEX  THE  (JKIG- 

IXAL  I'lOXEEK FIRST  CA15IX   IX   STAKK   COUXTY LIST  OF  SETTLERS 

EACH    YEAR    TO    1839 PIOXEER    LIFE    AXD    CUSTOMS THE    HOUSE 

RAISIXG FURXITURE    AXD    UTEXSILS SWAPPIXG    AVORK A:MUSE- 

3IEXTS    AXD    PASTI3IES ilARKIXG    xVXIMALS THE    OLD    TRAPI'ER's 

SOLILOQUY'. 

During  the  French  occupation  of  the  Illinois  Valley  a  trading 
jjost  was  established  at  the  site  of  the  old  Peoria  Indian  village,  near 
the  outlet  of  Peoria  Lake.  When  Illinois  was  organized  as  a  territory 
in  1809  and  Ninian  Edwards  was  appointed  governor,  this  post  Avas 
still  in  existence.  Shortly  after  the  beginning  of  the  War  of  1812 
Governor  Edwards  became  convinced  of  the  sympathy  of  the  inhabi- 
tants with  the  British  cause.  He  therefore  ordered  the  inhabitants 
banished  and  the  seventy  houses  that  then  constituted  the  village  de- 
stroyed. ^Vhile  the  post  was  in  existence,  no  doubt  some  of  the  traders 
there  dealt  with  the  Indians  who  lived  within  the  present  borders  of 
Stark  County,  and  these  traders  were  probably  the  first  white  men  to 
visit  this  portion  of  the  state.  They  made  no  settlements  away  from 
the  post,  however,  and  it  was  not  until  some  years  later  that  the  atten- 
tion of  immigrants  was  attracted  to  the  fertile  Spoon  River  Valley. 

In  1828  AVilliam  Eveland  and  Harvey  L.  Ross,  accompanied  by 
the  French  interpi-eter,  Edouard  Plude,  left  Lewistown.  Fulton 
County,  with  a  wagon  loaded  with  goods  for  the  piu'pose  of  trading 
with  the  Indians  in  Peoria,  Stark  and  Knox  counties  of  the  present 
day.  They  were  gone  nearly  a  month,  when  they  returned  to  Lewis- 
town,  where  they  re])orted  a  jjrofitable  trade,  and  that  they  found  ])ut 
two  white  settlers  north  of  the  Town  of  Canton. 

In  the  fall  of  that  year  Isaac  B.  Essex  came  to  the  SjJoon  River 
Valley  and  selected  a  claim  in  section  1.5,  township  12,  range  6.  He 
remained  there  long  enough  to  cut  logs  and  make  the  clapboards  for  a 
cabin,  after  which  he  returned  to  the  "Sliual  Creek  Colony,"  M'here 

58 


HlSTOllY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  59 

the  ti-a(liii^i>-  i)()st  had  hceii  destroyed  hy  order  of  Governor  Edwards, 
and  there  passed  the  winter.  In  April,  IS'il),  equipped  witli  two 
horses  and  a  wagon  laden  with  tools  and  supplies,  and  accompanied 
by  his  Avil'e  and  little  children,  he  set  out  for  his  home  on  the  frontier. 
Pausing  for  a  short  time  at  the  settlement  known  as  "Prince's  Grove," 
a  short  distance  northwest  of  the  jjresent  Town  of  Prineeville,  he  there 
enlisted  the  cooperation  of  Daniel  Prince,  Frank  Thomas,  two  Baptist 
preachers — Elders  Silliman  and  Allen — Simon  Reed,  Stephen  French, 
and  periiaps  one  or  two  others,  all  of  whom  agreed  to  go  with  him  to 
his  claim  and  assist  him  in  building  his  cabin.  They  arrived  at  the 
place  late  in  the  day  and  encamped  the  first  night  in  the  woods,  but 
before  sunset  of  the  next  day  the  cal)in  was  completed  and  they  "had 
a  house  to  sleep  in."  This  cal)in  was  the  first  dwelling  erected  by 
civilized  man  within  the  ])resent  limits  of  Stark  County. 

Isaac  B.  Essex  was  born  in  Virginia  in  January.  1800.  From  his 
native  state  he  went  to  Ohio,  and  while  still  a  young  man  came  to 
Illinois  and  was  appointed  teacher  to  the  Indian  children  by  Rev. 
Jesse  "Walker,  the  first  INIethodist  minister  in  the  state.  After  teach- 
ing a  short  time  he  took  up  a  claim  on  the  l)ank  of  the  INIississippi 
River  a  short  distance  Ijelow  Rock  Island.  Here  he  laid  out  a  town, 
which  he  called  Quebec,  but  the  project  failed  and  he  went  to  I'eoria, 
or  the  Shoal  Creek  Colony,  where  he  remained  until  he  came  to  Stark 
County.  He  continued  to  reside  in  Stark  for  many  years,  when  he 
went  to  Dongola.  Union  County,  where  he  passed  the  closing  years  of 
his  life.  Isaac  B.  Essex  was  a  son  of  Thomas  and  Elizabeth  Essex, 
who  were  married  in  Virginia  in  IT'.'l.  when  he  was  twenty  and  she 
eighteen  years  of  age.  They  followed  their  son  to  Stark  County, 
where  Elizabeth  Essex  died  on  January  "iO.  18.53,  and  her  husband 
followed  her  to  the  grave  on  May  1.),  18.53.  Essex  Townshii).  where 
thej^  first  settled,  was  named  in  honoi-  of  this  pioneer  family.  Others 
of  the  Essex  family  who  settled  in  Stark  County  were  Thomas.  Jr., 
William,  David  and  Josej)h.  l)rothers  of  Isaac,  and  a  sister  who  was 
the  wife  of  David  Cooper.  Further  mention  of  this  family  will  be 
found  in  the  history  of  Essex  Township. 

The  second  wliite  man  to  build  a  cabin  in  what  is  now  Stark  County 
was  John  B.  Dodge,  who  located  in  section  14,  township  12,  range  6. 
not  far  from  Mr.  Essex.  After  a  short  residence  there  he  entered 
land  in  section  3  and  his  cabin  in  section  1-i  was  occupied  by  John  E. 
O wings.  ]Mr.  Dodge  it  seems  was  a  i-estless  sort  of  an  individual,  who 
preferred  life  on  the  frontier  and  went  to  Texas  aliout  the  time  that 
state  was  annexed  to  the  Ignited  States. 


60  IllSTOllV  OF  STAllK  COUNTY 

III  tlie  spriiii^-  of  1830  Eenjaiiiiii  Smith,  the  father-in-law  of  John 
li.  Dodge,  became  a  resident  of  tlie  county.  He  was  accompanied  by 
three  others  of  the  family — Sewell,  Greenleaf  and  \\"illiam  P.  Smith 
— and  they  built  their  cabin  not  far  from  that  of  JNIr.  Dodge,  ^\'illiam 
D.  Grant  also  came  in  1830. 

On  the  southeast  corner  of  the  public  scjuare.  in  the  Town  of  Tou- 
lon, is  a  log  cal)in  which  was  erected  by  the  Old  Settlers'  Association 
and  on  August  2.5,  1898,  it  was  dedicated  to  the  "Old  Settlers  of 
Stark  Count)'."  In  the  Toulon  Public  Library  are  two  large,  en- 
grossed panels,  framed  and  covered  with  glass,  giving  a  list  of  the 
county's  pioneers  to  whom  the  cabin  is  dedicated.  From  this  list  it  is 
learned  that  the  inhabitants  of  the  county  in  1831  were:  Isaac  B. 
Essex,  Thomas  Essex,  Sr.,  Joseph  Essex,  Henry  Seely,  Benjamin, 
Greenleaf,  Sewell  and  William  P.  Smith,  David  Cooper,  Harris  W. 
IMiner,  Sylvanus  jMoore,  David  Gregory,  AVilliam  D.  Grant,  John 
B.  Dodge  and  Peter  Sheets. 

Those  who  came  during  the  years  1832-33  were  as  follows:  Par- 
don B.  Dodge,  Conrad,  Jacob  and  Joseph  Emery,  John  P.  Hays, 
Jesse  W.  Heath,  James  Holgate,  Elijah  ]McClenahan,  Sr.,  Elijah 
McClenahan,  Jr.,  James  and  Robert  ^NlcClenahan,  Isi-ael  Seely, 
iMinott  Silliman,  Lewis  Sturms,  Gen.  Samuel  Thomas  and  Jefferson 
Trickle.  In  this  list  there  are  a  few  names  that  are  still  well  remem- 
bered in  the  county.  IMinott  Silliman,  a  son  of  the  elder  Silliman, 
who  helped  Isaac  Essex  to  build  the  first  cabin  in  the  county,  was  the 
first  treasurer  of  Stark  County.  The  first  election  in  the  county  was 
held  at  the  house  of  Elijah  INIcClenahan,  Sr.,  and  Stephen  Trickle 
was  a  member  of  the  first  board  of  county  commissioners. 

In  1834,  according  to  the  list,  twenty-two  families  were  added  to 
the  population,  to  wit:  George  Albright,  Augustus  Bailey,  Isaac 
Chatfield,  Giles  C.  Dana,  Daniel  Davis,  John  Finley,  Xelson  Grant, 
Charles  Lake,  Henry  McClenahan,  William  ^loore,  Nero  Mounts, 
Joseph  Newton,  William  Parks,  Charles  Pierce,  Ira  and  Lyman 
Riddle,  Thomas  Scott,  Peter  Shafer.  Robert  Sharer,  Henry  Sturms, 
jNIathias  Stin-ms,  Dexter  Wall  and  Thomas  Winn. 

The  next  year  witnessed  even  a  larger  increase,  as  thirty-two 
pioneers  settled  within  the  county.  They  were:  Thomas  Bradford, 
James  Buswell,  Capt.  Henry  Butler,  Henry  Butler,  Jr..  Samuel  But- 
ler, Jarville  Chaffee,  David  Currier.  Peter  Davidson,  John  Davis, 
Augustus  Dunn,  Barnabas  Frail,  Hugh  Frail,  John  B.  Howard, 
James  and  Robert  IMoore,  Benjamin  Newton,  George  Parker,  Adam, 
Lewis  and  Swift  Perrv,  John  T.  Phenix,  Peter  Pratt,  Doctor  Rich- 


OLD  sKT'ri.iats'  (Ai;i.\,  kh  mi.n 


U3RARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 

URBANA 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  61 

ards,  jMiltoii  and  Silas  Richards,  ^Vhitney  Smith,  Isaac  Spencer, 
Nathaniel  Swartz,  James  Thompson,  Stephen  Trickle,  Thomas  Watts 
and  Calvin  Winslow. 

In  the  year  18:30  the  immigration  passed  the  hall'-centm-y  mark, 
over  fifty  new  residents  establishing  their  homes  in  Stark  Couiil> . 
Those  wiio  came  this  year  were:  John  W.  Agard.  Ephraim  Rarnett. 
J.  II.  Rarnett.  Moses  Roardman,  Charles  Rolt.  William  Rowen. 
jNIyrtle  G.  Rrace,  Henry  Rreese,  E.  S.  Rroadhead,  John  Rrowii, 
Jacob  Claybangh.  Henry  Colwell,  Presley  Colwell,  Enoch  and  Nathan 
Cox,  Lemnel  Horrance,  Andrew  Dray,  Ezekiah  and  Martin  Dukes, 
William  Dunbar,  George  R.  Eckley,  Lewis  Finch.  Rrady  Fowler. 
Orange  Fuller.  Frank  Grady.  George,  John.  Langley.  Robert  and 
William  Hall,  Smith  Hayes,  John  W.  and  Col.  William  Henderson. 
Renjamin  F.  Hilliard,  Philip  Keller,  Joseph  1).  Lane.  Joseph  K. 
Lane,  Nathaniel  JMcClure,  William  JNIahany,  Richar<l  Maskel.  John 
.Miller,  Josiah  lAIofKt,  Howard  Ogle.  William  Ogle.  A^irgil  Pike.  John 
Pratz,  Christopher  Sammis,  Sumner  Shaw,  Aslnn-  Smith,  Jacob  Smith. 
John  Spencer,  Andrew  Swartz,  Edward  Trickle,  Horace  Vail,  Archi- 
bald and  Charles  Vandyke,  John  White,  Nehemiah  Wycoft". 

Those  who  settled  in  the  co\inty  in  18:57  Avere:  P.  J.  Anschutz, 
Zebulon  Avery,  Carson  and  John  Rerfield,  Nelson  Ronham.  Dr. 
Alfred  Castle,"  Thomas  S.  Clark,  \Villiam  Cue,  Adam  Day,  W.  W. 
Drummond,  Calvin  and  Stephen  Eastman,  Joseph  and  Levi  Eckley, 
Caleb  Flint,  Ansil  Fuller,  Luther  Geer,  Joshua  Grant,  David  Guyer, 
Dr.  Thomas  Hall,  John  Hamilton.  Aaron  Harvey,  Harry  Hays, 
John  Hester,  Jonathan  Hodgson,  1).  S.  Ilurd,  Theodore  F.  Ilurd, 
Henry  T.  Ives,  Lemuel  R.  Leonard,  AVilliam  Lyall,  Thomas  Lyle, 
Thomas  McNaught,  Abiah  JNIanning,  Newton  Matthews,  Orin  INIax- 
field,  Charles  H.  and  Rev.  Jonathan  ^Miner.  Adam  and  Thomas 
Oliver,  Stephen  Ordway,  Joseph  Palmer.  Rnloff  and  Squire  Parrish, 
Joseph  Perry,  Isaac  Polhamus,  P^dward  Porter,  William  Porter, 
Calvin  Powell,  Sr.,  William  Pratt,  Ren.jamiii  Ricker,  W.  W.  Riggin. 
Robert  Rule,  David,  Jacob  and  John  Simmerman.  Israel  Stoddard, 
liberty  Stone.  John  F.  Tbom])son,  Charles  Todd.  John  Turnbull. 
AN'illiam  Wheeler,  Oliver  Whitaker  and  Ilewes  White. 

The  list  of  settlers  for  1838  includes  the  following:  Philander 
Arnold,  Royal  Arnold,  David  W.  Rrown,  Timothy  and  AVilliam 
Carter.  Riley  Chamberlain,  Dr.  Ebenezer  Clarfield.  John  Culbertson. 
John  CurdifF.  Eli  jab  Eltzi'otb.  Joshua  Gilfillan.  Christian  (Tingrich. 
Daniel  Gingrich.  Daniel  Hodgson,  H.  M.  Jackson,  Jonathan  H.  anf^ 
James  Jackson,  John   Lackey,  Caleb  Lyon,   David   Rouse,    Philip 


62  HISTOllY  OF  STAllK  COUNTY 

Shaner,  John  and  Nathan  Snare,  Levi  Stephens,  Jacob  Stites, 
Lunian  Thurston,  Robert  Turnbull,  Cyril  ^Vard,  Ira  \Vard  and 
Joseph  H.  Wilhcr. 

In  JNlarch,  IH'M,  the  Legislature  of  Illinois  passed  the  act  provid- 
ing for  the  organization  of  Stark  County.  During  that  year  the 
following  persons  and  their  families  settled  in  the  new  county:  James 
L.  Ayers,  Jeremiah  Bennett,  Joseph  and  William  D.  Blancliard, 
Samuel  Camp,  Alexander  Christy,  Asa  Currier,  Luther  Driscoll, 
Ellis  Uwire.  F.  W.  Emery,  James  Headly,  George  Jackson,  Sheri- 
dan Jones,  John  Me^^^illiams,  ^Villiam  Mason,  E.  C.  Merritt,  John 
Pryor,  John  Kiggin,  John  Kussell,  Benjamin  Turner  and  ^^^  A. 
Walters. 

Tile  above  list  of  pioneers,  compiled  as  it  is  from  the  records  of 
the  Old  Settlers'  Association,  is  probably  as  nearly  correct  as  it  can 
be  made  and  includes  a  majority,  if  not  all,  of  those  who  settled  in  the 
county  prior  to  its  organization.  Further  mention  of  many  of  these 
early  settlers,  giving  the  places  where  they  located  and  some  account 
of  their  achievements,  will  be  found  in  the  chapter  on  Township 
History. 

PIONEER    LIFE    AND    CUSTC^MS 

Looking  back  over  a  period  of  four  score  and  six  years,  to  the 
time  when  Isaac  B.  Essex  built  his  lonely  cabin  on  the  banks  of  the 
Spoon  River,  about  two  and  a  half  miles  southwest  of  the  present 
Town  of  Wyoming,  it  occurs  to  the  writer  that  the  young  people  of 
the  present  generation  may  find  some  interest  in  learning  how  the  first 
settlers  in  Stark  County  lived.  Imagine  a  vast  unbroken  tract  of 
country,  interspersed  with  forest  and  prairie,  stretching  away  toward 
the  JNIississippi  River,  with  but  few  white  settlers  between  the  Shoal 
Creek  Colony  at  Peoria  and  the  great  Father  of  Waters.  It  was  into 
this  wild  region  that  the  Stark  County  pioneers  came — not  as  con- 
(|uerers,  seeking  to  enrich  themselves  with  the  spoils  of  a  vanquished 
foe,  but,  armed  with  axes,  rifles  and  farming  utensils,  they  came  to 
coiKjuer  and  subdue  the  wilderness,  build  roads,  schoolhouses  and 
churches,  and  develop  the  resources  of  a  state  that  today  ranks  second 
to  none  in  the  American  LTnion. 

One  of  the  first  things  that  confronted  the  pioneer  was  the  neces- 
sity oi'  some  sort  of  shelter  for  himself  and  family.  The  manner  in 
whicli  the  first  cabin  in  Stark  County  was  l)uilt  has  ah'eady  been  told. 
Sometimes  two  or  more  families  woidd  come  into  a  new  country  to- 
gether.    In  such  cases  one  cabin  Mould  be  erected,  in  which  all  would 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  63 

live-  tugetlier  until  each  settler  could  stake  his  ckiui  and  build  a  dwell- 
ing of  his  own.  liun)ber  and  brick  were  luxuries  unknown  to  the 
frontier  settlement,  hence  the  log  cabin  was  the  universal  type  of 
residence.  The  first  cabins  were  built  of  round  logs,  but  a  little  later 
some  of  the  more  aristocratic  citizens  put  up  hewed  log  houses.  And 
what  an  event  was  a  "house-raising"  in  a  new  settlement. 

After  the  settler  had  cut  his  logs  and  dragged  them  to  the  site  of 
the  cabin — quite  likely  with  a  team  of  oxen — invitations  were  sent  to 
the  neighbors,  some  of  whom  lived  several  miles  distant,  to  attend  the 
"raising."  Verv  seldom  was  such  an  invitation  declined.  AVhen  all 
were  assembled  the  first  thing  was  to  select  four  men,  skilled  in  the 
use  of  the  ax.  to  "carry  up  the  corners."  It  was  the  duty  of  these 
four  men  to  take  their  stations  at  the  four  corners  of  the  cabin  and,  as 
the  logs  were  lifted  up  to  them,  to  shape  a  "saddle"  upon  the  top  of 
each  log  and  cut  a  notch  in  the  under  side  of  the  next  to  fit  upon  the 
saddle.  The  notch  in  the  butt  end  of  the  log  had  to  be  cut  a  little 
deeper  than  the  one  in  the  top  end,  in  order  that  the  walls  nnght  be 
carried  u])  ap])roximately  level,  a  work  that  was  aided  by  alternating 
the  butt  and  top  ends  of  the  logs  on  each  side  and  end  of  the  cabin. 
No  plumb  line  was  used  to  keep  the  walls  perjiendicular,  that  \nivt  oi' 
the  woik  depending  upon  the  eye  of  the  cornerman. 

No  openings  were  left  for  doors  and  windows,  l)ut  these  were 
sawed  or  chopped  out  afterward.  i\t  one  end  an  opening  was  made 
for  the  fireplace,  just  outside  of  which  was  constructed  a  chimney. 
If  stone  was  convenient  the  chimney  was  built  of  stone:  if  not  it  was 
built  of  sticks  and  claJ^  The  roof  was  invariably  of  cla])boards,  split 
or  "rived"  with  an  instrument  called  a  frow,  and  were  held  in  place 
bv  a  pole  running  the  full  length  of  the  cabin  and  fastened  to  the  end 
logs  with  wooden  pins.  The  floor,  if  there  was  one,  was  made  of 
l)unchcons — that  is,  slabs  of  timber  s])lit  as  nearly  the  same  thickness 
as  ])()ssible  and  smoothed  ofi'  on  the  ui)])er  surface  after  the  floor  was 
laid.  The  door  was  also  made  of  thin  puncheons,  hung  on  wooden 
hinges  and  provided  with  a  wooden  latch.  To  lift  the  latch  from  the 
outside  a  thong  of  Inickskin  was  passed  through  a  small  hole  in  the 
door.  At  night  the  latch  string  was  drawn  inside  and  the  door  was 
locked.  This  custom  gave  rise  to  the  saying,  "The  latch  string  is 
always  out."  used  to  signify  that  a  visitor  would  be  welcome  at  any 
time.  Nails  were  rare  and  not  infrequently  the  entire  cabin  Mould  be  - 
finished  without  a  single  piece  of  iron  being  used  in  its  construction. 

The  furniture  was  usually  of  the  "home-made"  variety  and  of  the 
simplest  character.     Holes  bored  in  the  logs  of  the  walls  and  fitted 


^4  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

with  pins,  upon  wliicli  boards  were  laid,  formed  the  "china  closet." 
Smaller  pins  driven  into  the  walls  were  used  to  hang  clothing  on  and 
constituted  the  only  "wardrobe"  of  the  family.  Boards  taken  from 
packing  cases,  or  claplioards,  battened  together,  formed  the  top  of  a 
table,  which  was  supported  on  two  trestles.  When  not  in  use,  the  top 
of  the  table  could  be  leaned  against  the  wall,  or  set  outside  the  cabin, 
and  the  trestles  could  be  placed  one  on  top  of  the  other  to  make  more 
room.  In  one  corner  of  the  cabin  was  the  bedstead,  which  was  made 
by  boring  holes  in  the  logs  at  a  suitable  distance  from  the  corner  for 
the  length  and  width  of  a  bed  and  inserting  poles,  which  were  sup- 
ported at  the  outer  corner  by  a  post.  Across  this  framework  clap- 
boards were  laid,  one  end  resting  on  the  "bed  rail"  and  the  other  in  a 
crack  of  the  cabin,  and  on  these  boards  was  placed  the  "straw  tick." 
Benches  and  stools  took  the  place  of  chairs.  A  few  immigrants 
brought  with  them  a  little  factory  made  furniture  and  a  sash  tilled 
with  glass  for  a  cabin  window,  but  in  a  majority  of  cases  the  furniture 
was  "liome  made."  and  light  was  admitted  through  oiled  paper  in- 
stead of  glass. 

Stoves  were  unknown  and  the  cooking  was  done  at  the  tireplace, 
an  iron  teakettle,  a  copper-bottomed  coffee  pot,  a  long-handled  skillet 
and  a  large  iron  pot  being  the  principal  cooking  utensils.  The  skillet 
was  used  for  frying  meat  and  baking  bread  and  the  iron  pot  was  used 
in  the  preparation  of  the  "boiled  dinner."  While  doing  the  cooking 
the  housewife  often  wore  a  deep  sunbonnet  to  protect  her  face  fi-om 
the  heat  of  the  open  fire.  "Johnny  cake"  was  made  by  spreading  a 
stiff  dough  of  corn  meal  upon  one  side  of  a  smooth  board  and  pro])])ing 
it  up  in  front  of  the  fire.  AVhen  one  side  was  baked  sufiiciently.  the 
dough  would  be  turned  over  so  that  the  other  side  might  have  its 
inning.  A  liberal  supply  of  johnny  cake  and  a  bowl  of  fresh  milk 
often  constituted  the  only  supper  of  the  pioneer. 

Somewhere  in  the  cabin,  two  hooks,  formed  from  the  forks  of 
small  trees,  Avould  be  pinned  against  the  Avail  or  to  one  of  the  ujjper 
joists  for  a  gun  rack.  Here  rested  the  long,  heavy  rifle  of  the  settler 
and  suspended  from  its  muzzle  6r  one  of  the  hooks  hung  the  bullet- 
jiouch  and  powder-horn. 

After  the  "house-raising"  came  the  "house-warming."  A  new- 
cabin  was  hardly  considered  fit  to  live  in  until  it  had  been  properly 
dedicated.  In  nearly  every  frontier  settlement  there  was  at  least  one 
man  who  could  play  the  violin.  The  "fiddler"  was  called  into  requisi- 
tion and  the  new  cabin  would  become  a  "sound  of  revelry  by  night." 
The  two-step,  the  tango  or  the  hesitation  waltz  were  not  known,  but 


HISTOKV  OF  STARK  C'OLXTV  65 

the  Virginia  reel,  the  stately  luimiet  or  the  old-fashioned  cotillion,  in 
which  someone  called  the  figures  in  a  stenotorian  voice,  were  very 
much  in  evidence.  It  is  doubtful  if  the  guests  at  a  presidential 
inaugural  ball  ever  derived  as  much  genuine  pleasure  from  the  occa- 
sion as  did  these  peojjle  of  tlie  frontier  at  a  house-wariuiiig.  If  the 
owner  of  the  cabin  had  scruples  against  dancing,  the  house  was  warmed 
by  festivities  of  a  different  character,  but  it  iiad  to  be  "warmed"  in 
some  way  before  the  family  took  full  possession. 

How  easy  it  is  at  the  present  time  to  enter  a  i-oom  at  night,  turn  a 
switch  and  flood  the  whole  place  with  electric  light!  It  was  not  so 
four  score  years  ago  in  Stark  County.  The  ho\isewife  devised  a  lamp 
bj-  ushig  a  shallow  dish,  in  which  was  placed  a  quantity  of  lard  or 
bear's  grease.  In  this  grease  was  immersed  a  loosely  twisted  rag,  one 
end  of  which  was  allowed  to  project  slightly  over  one  side,  and  the 
projecting  end  was  lighted.  The  smoke  and  odor  emitted  by  such  a 
lamp  could  hardly  be  endured  by  fastidious  ])ersons  of  the  present 
day,  but  it  answered  the  purpose  then  and  gave  light  enough  to  enable 
the  good  woman  to  perform  her  household  duties.  Next  came  the 
tallow  candle,  made  in  moulds  of  tin.  Sometimes  only  one  set  of 
candle  moulds  could  be  found  in  a  new  settlement  and  they  passed 
freely  from  liouse  to  Iiouse  until  all  had  a  supply  of  candles  laid  away 
in  a  cool,  dry  place  sufficient  to  last  for  many  weeks.  Often,  during 
the  winter  seasons,  the  family  would  spend  the  evening  with  no  light 
except  that  which  came  from  the  roaring  fire  in  the  great  fire])lace. 

Xo  one  Avore  "store  clothes"  in  the  early  days.  The  housewife 
would  card  her  wool  by  hand  M'ith  a  pair  of  broad-backed  Avire  brushes, 
the  teeth  of  which  were  slightly  bent  all  in  one  direction.  Then  the 
rolls  would  be  spun  into  yarn  on  an  old-fashioned  spinning  wheel. 
She  would  next  weave  the  yarn  into  cloth  u]}on  the  old  wooden  hand 
loom  and  make  it  into  garments  for  the  members  of  the  family,  doing 
all  the  sewing  with  a  needle.  A  girl  sixteen  j'^ears  of  age,  who  could 
not  spin  her  "six  cuts"  a  day  and  make  her  own  dresses  Avas  hard  to 
find  in  a  new  settlement.  How  many  graduates  of  the  Stark  County 
high  schools  in  1910  know  what  "six  cuts"  means  ^ 

In  these  days,  with  plenty  of  money  in  circulation,  when  anyone 
needs  assistance  he  hires  someone  to  come  and  hel])  him.  When  the 
first  white  men  came  to  Stark  County,  money  was  exceedingly  scai'ce 
and  they  overcame  the  difficulty  by  helping  each  other.  Cooperation 
was  the  rule.  All  the  settlers  in  a  commimity  would  join  in  raising  a 
cabin  for  a  newcomer,  although  a  total  stranger.  If  a  clearing  was 
made  in  the  timl)er  they  would  all  join  in  the  "log-rolling."     l?v  this 


66  IIISTOHV  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

means  the  logs  Mould  be  ijiled  in  great  heaps,  so  that  they  could  be 
burned.  The  same  system  was  followed  in  harvest  time.  Fre(iuently 
ten  or  a  dozen  men  would  gather  in  a  neighbor's  wheat  tield,  and  while 
some  would  swing  the  cradle  others  would  bind  the  sheaves  and  shock 
them,  after  which  the  whole  crowd  would  move  on  to  the  next  field 
where  the  Avheat  was  ripe,  and  so  on  imtil  the  entire  crop  of  the  neigh- 
borhood was  cared  for,  or  at  least  made  ready  for  threshing.  Xo 
threshing  machines  had  as  yet  made  their  a))pearance  and  the  grain 
was  separated  from  the  straw  with  a  flail  or  tramped  out  by  horses  or 
cattle  upon  a  smooth  piece  of  ground,  or  upon  a  barn  floor,  if  the 
settler  was  fortunate  enough  to  have  a  barn  \vith  a  floor  that  was 
suitable. 

And  the  community  of  interests,  the  custf)m  of  "swapping  work," 
did  not  apply  alone  to  the  men.  ^Vhile  they  were  raising  the  cabin, 
rolling  the  logs  or  harvesting  the  wheat,  the  "women  folks"  would  get 
together  and  prepare  dinner,  each  one  bringing  from  her  own  store 
some  delicacy  that  she  thought  the  others  might  not  be  able  to  supply. 
If  the  weather  was  pleasant  the  table  would  be  set  out  of  doors.  Bear 
meat  and  venison  took  the  place  of  terrapin  and  canvas-back  duck, 
but  each  man  had  a  good  ai)petite  by  the  time  the  meal  was  ready  and 
the  quality  of  the  food  was  not  criticized.  The  main  thing  was  to 
have  plenty  of  it,  and  when  they  arose  from  the  table  it  "looked  like 
a  cyclone  had  struck  it."  Each  family  had  its  turn  and  by  the  time 
the  year  rolled  around  no  one  suffered  any  disadvantage  in  the  amoimt 
of  food  consumed. 

Now,  when  a  family  needs  a  supjily  of  breadstuff,  all  that  is  neces- 
sary is  to  step  to  the  telephone  and  order  the  grocer  to  send  out  a  sack 
or  a  barrel  of  flour,  but  in  the  early  days  going  to  mill  was  no  light 
affair.  ]\Iills  were  few  and  far  a])art  and  the  settler  would  often 
have  to  go  such  a  distance  that  two  or  three  days,  or  even  more,  AAOuld 
be  required  to  make  the  trip.  To  obviate  this  difficulty  various  meth- 
ods were  introduced  for  making  at  home  corn  meal — which  was  the 
principal  breadstuff  of  the  first  settlers.  One  of  these  methods  was 
to  build  a  fire  upon  the  top  of  a  large  stump  of  some  hard  wood  and 
keep  it  burning  until  a  hollow  was  formed.  The  charred  wood  was 
then  carefully  cleaned  out  of  the  "mortar,"  corn  poured  in  small  quan- 
tities into  the  mortar  and  beaten  into  a  coarse  meal  with  a  hard  wood 
"pestle"  or  a  smooth  stone.  In  the  fall  of  the  year,  before  the  corn 
was  fully  hardened,  the  "grater"  was  brought  into  requisition.  This 
implement  was  made  by  launching  holes  closely  together  through  a 
sheet  of  tin.  which  was  then  fastened  to  a  board,  rough  side  upward. 


HISTOKV  OF  STARK  COUNTY 


67 


so  tliat  the  till  woukl  be  slightly  convex  on  the  outer  surface.  Then 
the  corn  would  he  rubbed  over  the  i-ougli  surface,  the  meal  passing- 
through  the  holes  and  sliding  down  the  hoard  into  a  vessel  ])laced  to 
receive  it.  A  slow  and  tedious  process  was  this,  but  a  bowl  of  mush 
made  from  grated  corn  meal  and  accompanied  by  a  generous  supjily 
of  good  milk  formed  a  repast  that  was  not  to  be  sneered  at,  and  one 
wiiich  no  pioneer  blushed  to  place  before  a  visitor. 

^latches  were  exceedingly  rare  and  a  little  tire  was  always  kept 
somewhere  about  the  cabin  "for  seed."     During  the  fall,  winter  and 
early  spring  months,  the  fire  \\as  kept  in  the  fireplace,  but  when  the 
weatlier  grew  warm  a  fire  was  kept  burning  out  of  iloors.     If,  by 
some  misha]),  the  fire  was  allowed  to  become  extinguished  one  of  the 
family  would  have  to  go  to  the  nearest  neighbor's  for  a  new  supply. 
But  if  the  pioneers  had  their  hardships,  they  also  had  their  amuse- 
ments and  pastimes.     Old  settlers  can  recall  tlie  shooting  matches, 
when  men  met  to  try  their  skill  with  the  rifle,  the  i)ri/e  being  a  turkey, 
a  haunch  of  venison  or  a  (juarter  of  beef.     And  some  of  these  old 
pioneers  with  their  hair-trigger  rities,  could  hold  their  own  with  the 
l)est  of  our  military  sharpshooters.    Then  there  was  the  "husking  bee," 
in  which  pleasure  and  profit  were  combined.     On  such  occasions  the 
corn  to  he  husked  would  be  divided  into  two  piles,  as  nearly  etjual  in 
size  as  ])ossil)le.     Two  of  the  invited  guests  would  then  "choose  up" 
and  divide  those  present  into  two  sides,  the  contest  being  to  see  which 
side  woidd  first  finish  its  pile  of  corn,     ^len  and  women  alike  took 
])art  and  the  young  man  who  foimd  a  red  ear  was  permitted  by  the 
rules  of  the  game  to  kiss  the  lassie  next  to  him.    "^Nlany  a  merry  laugh 
went  round"  when  someone  found  the  red  ear  and  the  lassie  objected 
to  being  kissed.    Sometimes  the  young  men  would  })lay  an  underhand 
game  by  passing  a  red  ear  surreptitiously  from  one  to  another. 

After  the  orchards  were  old  enough  to  bear  fruit,  the  "a])ple  cut- 
ting" became  a  popular  form  of  amusement,  when  a  numl)er  of  young 
])eople  would  assemble  to  pare  and  slice  enough  apples  to  dry  for  the 
winter's  supjjly.  The  husking  bee  and  the  apple  cutting  nearly  al- 
ways wound  up  with  a  dance,  the  orchestra  consisting  of  the  one  lone 
fiddler  in  the  neighborhood.  lie  might  not  have  been  a  classic  musi- 
cian, but  he  could  make  his  old  fiddle  respond  to  such  tunes  as  "Turkey 
in  the  Straw,"  "Money  Musk,"  "The  Bowery  Gals,"  and  "The  ^Vind 
That  Shakes  the  Barley  Fields,"  and  he  never  grew  tired  in  furnishing 
the  melody  while  the  others  tri])i)ed  the  light  fantastic  toe. 

On  grinding  days  at  the  old  grist  mill  a  number  of  men  would 
meet,  and  while  waiting  for  their  grists  would  pass  the  time  in  athletic 


68  HISTORY  OF  STAKK  COUXTV 

contests,  such  as  foot  races,  wrestling  matches  or  iiitching  horseslioes. 
The  women  had  their  (luilting  parties,  and  after  the  puhhc  school 
system  was  introchiced,  the  spelling  school  became  a  frequent  place  of 
meeting.  At  the  close  of  the  s])elling  match  the  young  men  could 
"see  the  girls  home,"  and  if  the  acquaintance  thus  commenced  ripened 
into  an  intimacy  that  ended  in  a  wedding,  it  was  usually  followed  by 
a  charivari,  or,  as  it  was  pronounced  on  the  frontier,  a  "shivaree," 
which  was  a  serenade  in  which  noise  took  the  place  of  harmony.  The 
proceedings  were  kept  up  until  the  bride  and  groom  came  out  where 
they  could  be  seen,  and  the  affair  ended  all  the  more  pleasantly  if 
each  member  of  the  shivareeing  party  was  presented  with  a  slice  of 
wedtling  cake  to  place  under  his  pillow  to  inlluence  his  dreams. 

There  was  one  custom  of  olden  times  that  should  not  be  overlooked, 
and  that  was  the  manner  in  which  each  settler  marked  his  domestic 
animals  so  that  they  could  be  identified.  There  were  Jiot  many  fences 
and  stock  of  all  kinds  was  i)erinitted  to  run  at  large.  To  jirotect  him- 
self, the  pioneer  farmer  cropped  the  ears  of  his  cattle,  hogs  and  sheep 
in  a  peculiar  manner  and  these  marks  were  made  a  matter  of  record. 
The  i^rincipal  marks  were  the  plain  crop,  the  upper  and  under  bits, 
the  swallow  fork,  the  upper  and  lower  slopes,  the  slit,  the  roimd  hole, 
and  perhai^s  a  few  others,  by  a  combination  of  which  each  settler  could 
mark  his  stock  in  a  way  different  from  that  of  any  of  his  neighbors. 
The  "upper  bit"  was  a  small  notch  cut  in  the  upper  side  of  the  ear; 
the  "under  bit"  was  just  the  reverse:  the  "swallow  fork"  Avas  made  by 
cutting  a  deep  notch  in  the  end  of  the  ear  similar  in  shape  to  the  tail 
of  a  swallow,  from  which  it  derived  its  name,  and  so  on.  If  someone 
found  a  stray  animal  marked  with  an  "up])er  bit  in  the  left  ear  and  a 
swallow  fork  in  the  right,"  all  he  had  to  do  was  to  inquire  at  the  re- 
corder's office  for  the  owner  of  such  a  mark.  These  marks  were  seldom 
violated  and  they  protected  the  settler  as  surely  as  the  manufacturer 
is  protected  in  the  right  to  use  his  registered  trade  mark. 

One  accustomed  to  the  conveniences  of  modern  civilization  would 
sui)pose  that  the  early  settlers  would  be  glad  to  escape  the  hardships 
and  disadvantages  of  frontier  life.  But  there  were  some  who  evi- 
dently preferred  it  to  any  other.  JNIany  who  came  to  Illinois  in  an 
early  day  and  aided  in  the  tlevelopment  of  the  state's  resources  after- 
ward crossed  the  ]Mississi]:)pi  aiid  became  pioneers  a  second  time  in 
Iowa,  Xebraska  or  Kansas.  There  is  a  freedom  on  the  frontier  that 
becomes  restricted  as  population  increases,  and  many  preferred  the 
freedom  with  its  hardshi])s  to  the  advantages  of  an  older  comnumity 
Avith  its  conventionalities.  Such  persons  are  well  described  in  Brinin- 
stool's  beautiful  jioem :  '^ 


1 
I 


IIISTOKV  OF  STARK  COUNTY  69 

TIIK    OLD    TKAPrER's    SOLILOQUY 

I've  taken  toll  from  every  .stream  that  held  a  lurry  prize, 

Eiit  now  my  traps  are  nistin'  in  tlie  sun; 
Where  once  the  broad,  free  ranges,  wild,  unbroken  met  my  eyes, 

Their  acres  have  been  civilized  and  won. 
The  deer  have  left  the  bottom  lands;  the  antelope  the  plain, 

And  the  howlin'  of  the  wolf  no  more  1  hear, 
But  the  busy  sounds  of  commerce  warn  me  of  an  alien  reign, 

As  the  saw  and  hammer  echo  in  my  ear. 

I've  lived  to  see  the  prairie  soil  a-sproutin'  schools  and  stores. 

And  wire  fences  stretch  on  every  hand; 
I've  seen  the  nesters  crowdin"  in  i'rom  distant  foreign  shores. 

And  the  hated  railroads  creej)  across  the  land. 
]\Jy  heart  has  burned  within  me.  and  my  eyes  have  misty  grown. 

As  Progress  came  unbidden  to  my  shack; 
jNIy  streams  have  all  been  harnessed  and  my  concjuest  overthrown, 

.\nd  I've  been  ])ushed  aside  and  ci-owded  back. 

I've  seen  men  come  with  manners  and  with  custouLs  new  and  strange, 

To  take  the  land  which  I  have  fought  to  hold; 
I've  watched  the  white-topped  wagons  joltin'  on  across  the  range 

With  those  who  sought  to  lure  the  hidden  gold. 
I've  seen  the  red  man  vanquished  and  the  buffalo  depart, 

^Vnd  cowmen  take  the  land  which  they  ])ossessed. 
And  now  there's  somethin'  tuggin'  and  a-pullin'  at  my  heart, 

And  biddin'  me  m()\e  on  to'rds  the  West. 

There  aint  no  elbow  room  no  more  to  circulate  around. 

Since  Civ'lization  stopped  beside  my  door; 
I'll  pack  my  kit  and  rifle  and  I'll  find  new  stompin'  ground. 

Where  things  is  like  they  was  in  days  of  yore. 
I've  heard  the  mountains  whisper,  and  the  old,  free  wild  life  calls. 

Where  men  and  Progress  never  yet  have  trod; 
And  III  go  back  and  worship  in  my  rugged  canyon  walls. 

Where  the  pine  trees  croon  and  Nature  is  my  Ciod. 


CHAPTER  VI 
STARK  COUNTY  ORGANIZED 

THE  JIILITARY  LAND  GRANT FORGED  TITLES FIRST  COUNTIES  IN    i'lIK 

ILLINOIS  VALLEY STARK  COUNTY THE  ORGANIC  ACT FIRST  ELEC- 
TIONS  THE  COUNTY  SEAT CHANGE  IN  GOVERNMENT — THE  COURT- 
HOUSE  THE   ANNEX THE   COUNTY   JAIL SHERIFF   MURCHISON'fv 

REPORT THE  POOR  FARM HOW  THE  COUNTY  WAS  NAMED. 

Shortly  after  tlie  close  of  the  War  of  1812  the  United  States 
Cioverninent  api)ropriated  and  had  surveyed  a  lai\n'e  tract  of  land  in 
Illinois  to  be  given  to  the  soldiers  who  took  part  in  that  war.  The 
"^Jilitary  Bounty  Land  Grant,"  as  it  was  called,  was  situated  be- 
tween the  Illinois  and  JNIississippi  rivers  and  extended  northward  to 
about  the  north  line  of  Henry  and  Bureau  counties.  While  a  large 
number  of  the  veterans  took  advantage  of  the  Government's  liberality 
to  secure  warrants,  or  patents,  to  a  "(juarter  section,"  there  were  only 
a  few  who  became  actual  settlers  on  their  claims.  A  large  majority 
of  them  traded  their  patents  to  speculators,  rarely  receiving  the  real 
worth  of  the  land.  When  the  actual  settlers  began  to  come  into  the 
tract,  in  which  Stark  County  Avas  included,  they  found  a  badly  mixed- 
up  situation  with  regard  to  land  titles,  with  no  sure  May  of  telling 
wiiich  quarter  section  belonged  to  some  individual  under  the  military 
bounty  act,  and  which  was  subject  to  entry.  Those  who  held  patents 
to  th.e  lands  generally  kept  out  of  sight  until  some  settler  would  make 
imjjrovements,  when  they  would  turn  uj)  with  a  "prior  title."  These 
land  sharks  showed  but  little  mercy  to  the  pioneers — the  men  who 
were  really  developing  the  country — and  in  numerous  instances  deeds 
and  patents  were  actually  forged  for  the  purpose  of  defrauding  the 
settlers.  Claim  associations  were  organized  in  several  places  through- 
nut  the  tract,  one  of  which  was  formed  by  the  settlers  about  Osceola 
Grove,  now  in  the  northeast  part  of  Stark  County.  Thnmgh  the 
operation  of  these  associations  the  land  shark  antl  sjjeculator  was 
sometimes  given  short  shrift  and  the  settlers  were  able  to  hold  their 
lands  until  they  could  jjurchase  them  from  the  Government.     One  of 

70 


I'l  ni.ii   si.ii  Alii;,  ini  i.dx 


nSRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 

URBANA 


I 


HISTOllY  OF  STARK  COLNTV  71 

the  most  notorious  of  tlie  land  sliarks  and  claim  jum])L'r,s  was  a  man 
named  Toliver  Craig,  who  was  charged  with  forging  titles,  and  who, 
it  is  said,  placed  forty  fraudulent  deeds  on  record  in  one  day  at  Knox- 
ville.  In  18.54  he  was  arrested  in  the  State  of  New  York  and  taken 
to  the  jail  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  where  he  tried  to  commit  suicide  by 
taking  arsenic.  After  remaining  in  jail  about  a  year  he  was  released 
on  hail  and  disajjpeared. 

This  condition  of  affairs  is  here  mentioned  to  show  one  of  the 
phases  of  frontier  life  that  the  early  settler  in  this  section  of  Illinois 
had  to  contend  with,  along  with  the  other  hardships,  and  tliat  the  men 
who  came  here  with  the  determination  to  make  homes  for  themselves 
could  not  be  defeated  in  their  pur])ose,  no  matter  how  adverse  the 
conditions.  It  was  several  years  before  the  conflict  over  titles  to  the 
land  was  finally  settled. 

In  the  preceding  chapter  is  given  a  list  of  those  who  settled  within 
the  present  limits  of  Stark  County  between  the  years  18"Ji)  and  18:i9. 
At  the  time  the  first  of  these  settlers  came  into  the  Spoon  Kiver  Valley 
the  territory  was  attached  to  Peoria  County  for  all  legislative  and 
judicial  pur])oses.  Peoria  County  was  created  in  182.)  and  the  act 
j)ro\  iding  for  its  organization  attached  to  it  all  the  territory  north  of 
it  within  the  State  of  Illinois,  "on  both  sides  of  the  Illinois  Kiver  as 
far  east  as  the  third  principal  meridian,"  which  marks  the  present 
eastern  boundary  of  Putnam  and  Bureau  counties. 

Knox,  Henry  and  Putnam  counties  were  set  off'  from  Fulton 
County,  and  by  the  act  of  A\m\  2.  1831,  Putnam  was  divided  into 
four  precincts,  one  of  which,  known  as  "Spoon  Kiver  Precinct."  in- 
cluded "all  the  county  south  of  the  direct  line  from  the  head  oi'  Crow 
Prairie  to  Six  ^Nlile  Grove,  thence  northwest  to  the  original  county 
line."  Bureau  Precinct  embraced  all  the  present  county  of  that  name 
and  portions  of  ]\Iarshall  and  Stark. 

As  the  number  of  settlers  in  the  Spoon  River  Valley  increased 
they  began  to  feel  the  inconvenience  of  having  to  go  to  Hennepin  to 
attend  court  and  transact  their  county  business,  and  a  movement  was 
started  for  the  organization  of  a  new  county.  At  the  legislative  ses- 
sion of  1836-37  the  County  of  Bureau  was  established  and  an  act  "for 
the  formation  of  Coffee  County"  was  also  ])assed  and  ajjproved  by 
the  governor.  Says  Mrs.  Shallenbcrger:  "Now  as  Col.  William 
llentlerson  was,  from  his  first  settlement  here,  prominent  in  local 
politics,  and  known  to  be  an  enthusiastic  admirer  of  the  Tennessee 
hero,  General  Coffee,  with  or  under  whom  he  had  done  militarv  serv- 
ice, it  is  highly  prol)able  that  this,  as  well  as  subsequent  acts  for  the 
same  purpose,  was  secured  through  his  instrumentality." 


72  HISTORY   OF  STARK  COL  XT  V 

Under  the  act  of  1836  the  County  of  Coffee  was  to  consist  of  nine 
Congressional  townships,  six  of  which  were  to  be  taken  from  Put- 
nam, two  from  Knox  and  one  from  Henry.  Benjamin  Mitchell, 
Richard  X.  CuUom  and  Samuel  Hackleton  were  named  in  the  act  as 
commissioners  to  locate  the  county  seat,  which  was  to  be  called  Ripley, 
unless  some  town  already  established  should  be  selected.  The  act  was 
not  to  become  effecti\-e,  however,  unless  a  majority  of  the  voters  ofi 
Knox  and  Henry  counties  should  give  their  assent  to  the  formation 
of  the  new  county  at  an  election  to  be  held  on  April  10,  1837.  Putnam 
was  not  allowed  the  opportunity  of  voting  on  the  proposition,  and  in 
the  other  counties  a  majority  was  against  the  establishment  of  the 
new  county.    That  was  the  end  of  Coifee  County. 

In  February,  1838.  a  meeting  was  held  at  the  house  of  James 
Holgate,  near  Wyoming,  to  discuss  the  question  of  petitioning  the 
next  session  of  the  Legislature  to  organize  a  new  comity.  A  factional 
fight  arose  over  the  question  of  the  eastern  boundary,  some  wanting 
the  county  to  extend  eastward  to  the  Illinois  River,  and  a  spirited 
campaign  followed  in  1838.  Colonel  Henderson  was  elected  to  the 
I^egislature  and  on  January  Ifi.  1839,  he  presented  a  petition  from  a 
large  number  of  citizens  of  Putnam,  Knox  and  Henry  counties  pray- 
ing for  the  erection  of  a  new  county.  Just  a  week  later  a  bill  was 
introduced  in  the  Legislature  for  the  establishment  of  Stark  County. 
This  measure  contained  some  features  that  were  not  satisfactory  to 
Colonel  Henderson,  and  upon  his  motion  it  was  laid  on  the  table.  On 
February  Ttli  the  bill  and  proposed  amendments  were  referred  to  a 
special  committee,  which  reported  it  back  on  the  11th,  with  the  recom- 
mendation that  it  pass,  but  on  the  final  vote  it  was  defeated. 

Then  a  bill  was  introduced  under  the  title  of  "An  act  to  dispose  of 
the  territory  west  of  the  Illinois  River  in  the  County  of  Putnam,  and 
for  other  purposes."  On  February  28,  1839,  the  Senate  reported  that 
it  had  made  several  amendments  to  the  bill,  one  of  which  provided  for 
the  formation  of  Stark  County.  The  House  concurred  in  the  amend- 
ments and  on  March  2,  1839,  the  council  of  revision  reported  a])])roval 
of  the  act,  which  bore  the  title  of  "An  act  for  the  formation  of  the 
Count}'  of  Stark,  and  for  other  purposes." 

THE    ORGANIC    ACT 

That  part  of  the  act  relating  to  Stark  County  is  as  follows: 
"Section  2.     That  townships  12  and  13  north,  of  ranges  5,  6  and  7, 
east  of  the  Fourth  Principal  ]Meridian,  shall  constitute  a  new  county. 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  73 

to  be  called  Stark;  Provided,  however,  that  townships  12  and  13  of 
range  number  .5  east  shall  not  constitute  or  coini)ose  any  part  of 
the  County  of  Stark,  except  upon  the  condition  that  a  majority  t)f  the 
legal  voters  in  said  township  shall  consent  thereto;  and  to  enable  the 
said  voters  to  decide  the  question  and  give  or  withhold  their  consent, 
an  election  shall  be  held  at  the  house  of  Henry  JNlcClenahan,  on  the 
third  Monday  of  March,  under  the  superintendence  of  Jonathan 
Hoduson,  Es(i..  Silas  Richards.  Henrv  jNIcClenahan  and  Conrad 
Emery,  who  shall  act  as  judges  and  clerk  of  said  election,  and  whose 
duty  it  shall  be  to  attend  at  the  time  and  place  aforesaid  and  hold  an 
election.  A  poll-l)ook  shall  be  o])ene(l,  with  cohunns  in  favor  of  and 
auainst  being  included  in  the  said  Countv  of  Stark;  and  the  legal 
^ oters  aforesaid  shall  be  permitted  to  vote  for  either  proposition.  The 
polls  shall  be  kept  open  from  !)  o'clock  A.  INI.  to  .3  o'clock  P.  M.:  and 
upon  receiving  the  votes,  the  said  judges  and  clerk  shall  certify  the 
result  upon  the  poll-book,  and  within  five  days  thereafter  deliver  said 
Ixiok.  certitied  as  aforesaid,  to  the  clerk  of  the  county  commissioners' 
court  of  Knox  County;  and  said  clerk  shall,  in  the  i^resence  of  two 
justices  of  the  peace,  or  two  of  the  county  commissioners,  open  and 
examine  the  said  ])oll-b()ok  and  compare  the  ccrtiticate  with  the  votes 
given,  and  thereupon  make  duplicate  certificates  of  the  result  of  said 
election,  which  shall  be  signed  by  the  clerk  and  justices  or  commis- 
sioners as  aforesaid;  and  if  it  shall  appear  that  a  majority  of  said 
votes  are  in  favor  of  being  included  in  the  County  of  Stark,  the  said 
townshi])  shall  be  included  in  said  county;  otherwise  said  townshi]) 
shall  continue  to  form  and  constitute  a  part  of  the  County  of  Knox. 
One  of  the  certificates  made  as  aforesaid  shall  be  transmitted  to  the 
secretary  of  state,  to  be  by  him  filed  with  the  em-olled  bill  enacting  the 
county :  and  one  shall  be  entered  of  record  in  the  county  commissioners' 
com-t  of  Knox  County;  but  if  the  majority  of  said  votes  shall  be 
against  being  included  in  the  said  county,  the  certificates  shall  be  trans- 
mitted and  recorded  as  aforesaid,  and  the  boundaries  of  Stark  shall  be 
as  fixed  in  the  foregoing  section,  excluding  the  townships  aforesaid. 
If  the  y)ersons  herein  appointed  to  act  as  judges  and  clerk  of  said 
election,  or  any  one  of  them,  shall  fail  or  refuse  to  act,  the  voters, 
when  assembled,  shall  select  others  to  act  in  their  stead,  wlio  shall 
execute  this  act  as  though  they  were  named  herein.  Notice  of  said 
election  shall  be  ])osted  u])  at  tln-ee  ])laces  in  said  townshi]).  at  least 
five  days  preceding  said  election,  by  Henry  JMcClenahan." 

Section  3  gave  to  the  county  commissioners  of  Stark  County  the 
power  "to  vacate,  locate  and  relocate  roads,  and  to  use  and  exercise 
exclusive  jurisdiction  in  the  premises." 


74  IIISTOUY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

"Section  5.  The  commissioners  of  the  County  of  Stark,  when 
elected,  shall  jjroceed  immediately  to  demand  of  the  county  treasurer 
of  Putnam  County  the  one-sixth  ]nirt  of  '$9,870,  paid  liim  by  the  Fund 
Commissioners,  together  with  fJ  per  cent  per  annum  upon  the 
one-sixth  part  of  the  sum  aforesaid;  and  should  the  treasurer  of  the 
County  of  Putnam  fail  promptly  to  pay  over  the  sum  aforesaid,  then 
it  is  hereby  made  the  duty  of  the  County  Commissioners  of  the 
County  of  Stark  to  bring  suit  against  the  treasurer  of  Putnam  County 
and  his  sureties  for  the  sum  aforesaid,  it  being  $1,645,  together  with 
interest  as  aforesaid  from  the  time  of  loaning  said  money  imtil  paid — 
said  sum  being  hereby  appropriated  to  the  County  of  Stark,  to  be 
applied  agreeable  to  the  provisions  of  'An  act  to  establish  and  main- 
tain a  general  system  of  internal  improvement;'  provided,  ho^vever, 
that  nothing  in  this  act  shall  be  so  construed  as  to  release  the  present 
commissioners  of  the  County  of  Putnam  from  any  liability  which  they 
may  have  incurred  by  illegally  authorizing  the  fund  aforesaid  to  be 
used  for  any  other  object  than  that  for  which  it  was  legitimately 
approjiriated. 

"Section  7.  That  the  legal  voters  of  the  County  of  Stark  shall 
meet  at  the  house  of  Elijah  ]McClenahan,  Sr.,  on  the  first  ^Monday 
in  April  next,  and  proceed  to  choose  their  own  judges  and  clerks,  who, 
after  being  duly  sworn,  shall  proceed  to  open  the  polls  and  hold  an 
election  for  the  purjjose  of  electing  county  officers.  It  shall  be  the 
duty  of  Closes  Boardman,  or,  in  case  of  his  absence,  any  justice  of 
the  peace  within  the  bounds  of  said  county,  to  give  at  least  ten  days' 
notice  of  the  time  and  place  of  holding  said  election,  and,  when  said 
election  is  over,  to  give  certificates  of  election  to  the  persons  elected 
comity  commissioners  and  make  retiu'ns  to  the  secretary  of  state  for 
comity  officers. 

"Section  8.  The  County  Commissioners  of  the  said  County  of 
Stark  shall  meet  at  the  house  of  Elijah  ^McClenahan,  Sr.,  within  ten 
days  after  their  election,  and  after  being  qualified  shall  proceed  to 
layoff  said  county  into  justices'  districts  and  rpad  districts  and  order 
elections  for  all  justices  of  the  peace  and  constables;  to  levy  a  tax  for 
all  county  purjjoses  for  the  present  year,  unless  the  revenue  law  shall 
be  changed,  and  to  do  and  perform  all  the  duties  required  of  the  county 
commissioners'  courts  by  law. 

"Section  9.  The  courts  of  said  county  shall  be  held  at  sueh  place 
as  the  county  commissioners'  court  may  designate,  until  a  suitable 
preparation  can  be  made  at  the  county  seat;  which  county  seat,  when 
located,  shall  be  called  Toulon.     Said  county  shall  form  a  part  of  the 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  75 

same  judicial  circuit  with  the  counties  of  Putnam  and  Marsliall:  and 
the  circuit  court  shall  he  held  for  said  comity  twice  in  each  year  at 
such  times  as  the  judye  of  said  circuit  may  desi<^'iiate. 

"Section  10.  Tiie  (jualitled  voters  of  the  County  of  Stark,  in  all 
elections  except  county  elections,  shall  vote  with  the  senatorial  aii<l 
representative  district  composed  of  the  counties  of  Peoria,  Putnam. 
Hureau  and  Marshall,  until  otherwise  provided  hy  law,  hut  shall  make 
election  returns  to  the  secretary  of  state  in  the  same  manner  that  is 
now  required  hy  law  from  the  other  counties  in  this  state." 

Section  12  provides  that  the  school  commissioner  of  Putnam 
County  should  turn  over  to  the  proper  authorities  in  the  County  of 
Stark  all  money,  hooks,  records,  etc.,  pertainin<>;  to  the  schools  within 
the  territory-  comprising  the  new  county. 

THE  FIRST  ELECTIONS. 

The  Legislature  having  done  its  })art  hy  the  passage  of  the  ahove 
act.  it  devolved  ujion  the  people  of  the  countj^  to  complete  the  organi- 
zation. Pursuant  to  the  provisions  of  Section  7  of  the  organic  act, 
the  legal  voters  living  within  the  limits  of  the  County  of  Stark  met 
at  the  house  of  Klijah  ^McClenahan,  Sr.,  on  the  first  Monday  in 
April,  1839,  which  was  the  first  day  of  the  month,  and  i)roeee(led  to 
elect  the  following  officers:  Commissioners,  Jonathan  Hodgsoti, 
Steplien  Trickle  and  Calvin  Winslow;  commissioners'  clerk,  Oliver 
^Vhitaker;  sheriff,  Augustus  A.  Duim;  treasurer,  ^Minott  Silliman; 
recorder,  Jesse  W.  Heath;  prohate  judge,  William  Ogle;  surveyor, 
.John  W.  Agard. 

On  Thursday,  April  4,  1839,  the  county  commissioners  met,  for 
the  first  time,  at  the  house  of  Mr.  JMcClenahan,  where  the  election,  was 
held,  and  carried  out  the  provisions  of  the  organic  act  as  set  forth  in 
Section  8.  ^Vt  tlie  .lune  term  the  coimnissioners  made  provisions  for 
the  general  election  to  he  held  on  iVugust  .),  1839,  by  ordering  that 
each  justice's  district  should  he  an  election  precinct,  appointing 
judges  of  election  in  each  precinct  and  designating  the  voting 
places.  In  precinct  Xo.  1,  Ri-ady  Fowler,  Nicholas  Sturm  and 
M.  G.  Brace  were  ajipointed  judges,  and  the  Northern  school 
house  named  as  the  voting  jjlace.  No.  2,  James  Holgate,  Samuel 
Thomas  and  Ilemy  Rreese,  judges;  vote  at  the  house  of  James  Hol- 
gate. No.  3,  Calvin  Powell,  William  W.  Webster  and  ]Moses  Board- 
man,  judges;  election  at  the  house  of  Lewis  Finch.  No.  -1,  Conrad 
Emery,  John  ]Mc Williams  and  Israel  Stoddard,  judges;  election  to 


76  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

be  held  at  Theodore  F.  Hurds  store  in  Lafayette.  Xo.  5,  ^Villiani 
Ogle,  Adam  Perry  and  Angnstus  Richards,  judges;  election  at  tiic 
house  of  William  Henderson. 

The  election  of  April,  1839,  was  for  the  purjiose  of  electing  county 
officers  to  serve  until  the  next  regular  election,  which  occurred  on 
August  5,  1839.  At  the  August  election  Oliver  Whitaker  and  Minott 
Sillinian  were  re-elected  clerk  and  treasurer,  respectively;  William 
Ogle  succeeded  Stephen  Trickle  on  the  board  of  county  commission- 
ers; Carson  Berfield  was  chosen  surveyor  to  succeed  J.  W.  Agard; 
John  :Miller  succeeded  William  Ogle  as  probate  judge;  and  B.  M. 
Jackson  was  elected  recorder.  The  new  board  of  commissioners 
organized  on  September  3,  1839,  when  lots  were  drawn  for  the  \  arious 
terms.  William  Ogle  drew  the  one-year  term;  Calvin  Winslow,  two 
years ;  and  Jonathan  Hodgson,  three  years.  The  machinery  of  county 
government  Avas  now  permanently  established. 

THE  COUXTV   SEAT 

Although  the  organic  act  gave  the  name  of  Toulon  to  the  coimty 
seat,  '"when  located,"  no  provision  was  made  in  the  act  of  ]March  2, 
1839,  for  its  location.  On  February  27,  1841,  an  act  was  passed 
naming  John  Dawson.  Peter  Van  Bergen  and  William  F.  Elkin,  all 
of  the  County  of  Sangamon,  to  locate  the  town  of  Toulon.  The  act 
stipulated  that  the  commissioners  should  meet  at  "the  house  of  Wil- 
liam H.  Henderson,  in  said  county,  on  the  second  ^Monday  in  April, 
1841,  thereafter,  or  as  soon  as  might  suit  their  convenience,  and  being 
first  duly  sworn,  as  l)y  said  act  retiuired.  to  discharge  faithfully  tlie 
duties  assigned  them  by  said  act,  should  then  proceed  to  locate  the  said 
town  of  Toulon,  having  due  regard  in  making  said  location  to  the 
})resent  and  future  population  of  said  County  of  Stark,  the  promotion 
of  the  general  good,  the  eligibility  of  the  site,  and  as  near  as  may  be, 
after  considering  all  other  provisions  of  said  act.  the  geographical 
center  of  the  county." 

The  commissioners  did  not  meet  until  in  ^Slay.  Their  report,  tiled 
with  the  county  commissioners  and  entered  in  the  records  of  the 
county,  contains  the  following: 

"And,  whereas,  said  commissioners  did  on  the  17th  day  of  ]May, 
1841,  meet  at  the  house  of  William  H.  Henderson,  in  said  County 
of  Stark,  and  did  take  and  subscribe  to  an  oath  prescribed  by  said 
act,  and  which  said  oath  is  filed  in  the  clerk's  office  of  the  county 
commissioners'   court   of  said   Countv  of   Stark,    and   after   having 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  77 

inspected  the  territory  of  said  county  in  all  tilings  appertaining  to 
the  discharge  of  the  (hities  assigned  them  by  said  act  above  referred 
to,  have  h)eated,  and  do  hereby  locate,  the  town  of  Touh)n,  the  county 
seat  of  Stark  County,  on  ninety  rods  scjuare  of  hnid,  at  present  owned 
l)y  John  Miller,  of  said  County  of  Stark,  and  known  and  described 
as  follows,  to-wit:  It  being  ])ait  of  the  southwest  (juarter  of  Section 
Xo.  19,  in  Townshij)  No.  13  north,  of  Range  6,  east  of  the  Fourth 
Principal  ^Meridian,  whieli  said  ninety  rods  square  lies  twelve  rods 
east  and  twelve  rods  north  of  the  west  and  south  boundary  lines  of 
said  (juarter  section:  upon  this  condition,  however,  that  the  said  .loiiii 
Miller  execute  to  the  county  eonunissioners  in  office  a  good  and  sutH- 
cient  deed  in  fee  simple  to  the  said  ninety  rods  s(iuare  of  land." 

On  July  28,  1841,  John  ^Miller  and  his  wife.  Mary  Ann  Miller, 
executed  the  recjuired  deed  and  Stark  County  became  possessed  of 
tile  site  of  its  seat  of  justice.  (For  the  further  history  of  the  Town 
of  Toulon  see  the  chajiter  on  Cities,  Towns  and  \^illages.) 

CHANGE   IX   GOVEKNMEXT 

When  Stark  County  was  first  organized  the  transaction  of  tlie 
public  business  was  intrusted  to  a  board  of  three  coiinuissioners.  This 
system  was  continued  until  the  adojjtion  of  the  Constitution  of  1848. 
which  gave  to  the  several  counties  of  Illinois  the  privilege  of  adopting 
township  organization.  A  majority  of  the  legal  voters  of  Stark 
County,  at  the  general  election  in  November,  18.)2,  voted  in  favor  of 
townshij)  organization,  the  inauguration  of  which  changed  the  execu- 
tive officials  of  the  county  from  a  l)oard  of  three  commissioners  to 
a  board  of  supervisors,  composed  of  one  member  from  each  ci\  il 
township.  The  first  board  of  supervisors,  as  shown  by  the  minutes 
of  Se])tember  12,  18.).'J.  when  they  held  their,  first  meeting,  was  made 
up  as  follows:  Elmira  Townshi]),  Thomas  IjvIc:  Kssex,  IamhucI 
Dixon;  Goshen,  Lewis  II.  Fitch:  Osceola,  Bradford  S.  Foster;  I'enn, 
James  Holgate:  Toulon,  Calvin  I.,.  Eastman:  Valley,  Charles  C. 
Wilson;  West  Jersey,  William  W.  Webster.  The  system  thus  intro- 
duced has  been  continued  to  the  ])resent  time. 

THE  COURTHOUSE 

l-'or  more  than  two  years  after  the  orgam"zation  of  the  county, 
the  public  business  was  transacted  and  the  sessions  of  the  Circuit  Court 
were  held  in  private  dwellings.     Some  time  in  the  early  part  of  1842 


78  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

a  contract  was  made  by  the  county  commissioners  with  Abel  ]Mott, 
an  elder  of  tlie  ^Mormon  Church,  to  erect  a  courthouse  upon  tlie  public 
square  in  the  Town  of  Toulon.  It  seems  that  ]Mr.  JNIott  failed  to 
carry  out  his  part  of  the  agreement  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  board  of 
conmiissioners,  as  the  records  show  that  Cyril  Ward,  John  Shores 
and  J.  H.  Wilber  were  appointed  to  arbitrate  the  differences  or  mis- 
understandings between  the  contracting  parties.  On  January  20, 
184."3,  after  the  arbitrators  had  rendered  their  decision  and  made  their 
report,  the  commissioners  ordered  "that  the  treasurer  pay  to  Abel 
Mott  the  sum  of  $360.36,  to  be  paid  out  of  the  notes  given  for  the 
sale  of  lots  in  the  Town  of  Toulon,  it  being  a  balance  due  him  in 
full  for  building  said  courthouse  in  said  town." 

On  3Iarch  8,  1843,  ^linott  Silliman,  the  treasurer  of  Stark  County, 
tiled  a  claim  for  $21.7.5  for  commission  on  $1,087.2.5  \\'orth  of  notes 
taken  in  jjayment  for  lots  in  the  Town  of  Toulon  and  turned  over 
to  Abel  jNIott  since  JNIarch  10,  184.2.  The  sum  represented  by  these 
notes  was  probably  somewhere  near  the  cost  of  Stark  County's  first 
courthouse,  so  far  as  the  contractor  was  concerned.  There  were  some 
extra  charges,  howe\'er,  as  shown  by  the  minutes  of  the  commission- 
ers' court.  Notice  was  given  by  the  board  on  September  7,  1842, 
that  a  contract  would  be  let  on  the  20th  of  October  "to  under])in  the 
courthouse  with  stone  in  a  good  and  workmanlike  manner,  payable 
either  in  notes  of  the  sales  of  lots  in  the  Town  of  Toulon,  or  State 
Bank  of  Illinois  paper." 

At  the  same  time  W.  T.  Vandeveer  was  appointed  agent  of  the 
county  to  award  the  contract  and  oversee  the  work  "to  the  best  advan- 
tage for  said  county."  For  some  reason  the  contract  was  not  let  at 
tlie  ai)pointed  time,  for  on  July  3,  1843,  the  bid  of  Calvin  Powell, 
of  $74.00.  for  underpinning  the  courthouse,  was  accepted  by  the 
boartl,  the  work  to  be  completed  by  the  first  ]Monday  in  September. 
On  tlie  same  date  the  commissioners  made  a  private  agreement  with 
Minott  Silliman,  by  whicli  the  latter  was  to  "build  six  chimneys  for 
stove  i^ipes  in  the  cotn-thouse,"  for  the  sum  of  $33.50,  the  chimneys 
to  be  finished  by  the  first  ^Monday  in  September. 

Tiie  old  frame  courthouse  continued  in  use  for  nearly  fifteen 
years  before  any  agitation  was  started  in  favor  of  a  new  one.  On 
Seiitember  10,  1856,  John  Berfield,  Henry  Breese  and  C.  JNI.  S.  I>yons 
were  appointed  a  committee  "to  visit  I^acon,  in  ^Marshall  County, 
and  obtain  a  full  description  of  the  courthouse  at  that  place — its 
size,  the  material  of  which  it  is  constructed,  its  cost  and  manner  of 
construction — together  with  such  drafts,  models,  plats,  etc.,  of  said 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  79 

building,  or  such  other  phits  as  they  may  deem  expedient;  to  consult 
with  experienced  builders,  and  to  make  such  other  arrangements 
pre])aratory  to  building  a  new  courthouse  as  they  may  think  necessary 
and  report  to  this  board  at  its  next  meeting." 

Tile  committee  reported  on  October  11,  18.50.  and  with  the  rei)ort 
submitted  plans  and  specifications  for  a  new  courthouse.  The  re])ort 
and  i)lans  were  accepted  and  ai)i)roved  by  the  board  and  the  committee 
was  discharged  as  a  committee  of  in(}uiry  and  investigation,  but  the 
same  men  were  immediately  appointed  a  building  committee,  witii 
instructions  to  advertise  for  bids  and  report  progress  at  the  next 
meeting.  On  December  9,  18.5G,  the  committee  reported  that  three 
sealed  proposals  for  the  erection  of  the  courthouse  had  been  received, 
to-wit: 

Thomas  B.  Starrett  and  Edward  Nixon $12,700 

Stephen  ^M.  Fisher 10,.500 

Parker  C.  Spaulding 8,300 

The  bid  of  Mr.  Spaulding,  whose  home  was  in  Knoxville,  111., 
was  accepteil.  but  before  the  contract  was  entered  into  he  came  for- 
wai'd  with  the  complaint  that  the  advertisement,  upon  which  he  had 
based  his  estimate,  stated  that  the  building  was  to  be  fifty-six  feet 
in  length,  while  the  plans  and  specifications  called  for  a  building  sixty- 
four  feet  long.  He  therefore  asked  the  board  to  jjermit  him  to  add 
$1,185  to  his  original  bid,  which  was  granted,  his  figures  then  being 
more  than  one  thousand  dollars  below  those  of  the  next  lowest  bidder. 
A  contract  Avas  then  made  with  Mr.  Spaulding,  in  which  he  agreed 
to  furnish  all  materials  and  labor  necessary  to  complete  the  court- 
liouse  for  $9,48.5.  This  contract  was  dated  December  23,  18.5('),  and 
Mr.  Spaulding  agreed  to  have  the  building  completed  by  the  first 
day  of  December.  18.57. 

Before  the  courthouse  was  more  than  half  done  the  contractor 
assigned  to  Elias  Spaulding,  who  failed  to  finish  the  building  within 
the  stipulated  time.  On  December  9,  18.57.  the  county  clerk  was 
directed  to  issue  an  order  on  the  county  treasurer  for  $1,0()().  due 
February  1.5,  18.58,  the  last  payment  to  Elias  Spaulding  for  building 
the  C()\u-thouse.  The  contractor  was  allowed  $104. ()8  for  extra  work, 
and  some  other  extras  added  l)y  the  board  amounted  to  ai)ont  fifty 
dollars. 

On  August  4,  18.57,  it  was  ordered  by  the  supervisors  that  the 
clerk  advertise  and  sell  the  old  courthouse  at  auction  on  the  first  day 
of  the  October  term  of  court,  the  purchaser  to  remove  the  building 


80  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

from  the  public  square  within  thirty  days  after  the  sale.  The  house 
was  h()u<^ht  by  Jett'erson  Cooley,  who  removed  it  to  the  east  end  of 
his  hotel  lot,  on  the  northwest  corner  of  Main  and  ^filler  streets, 
Avhere  it  was  used  for  years  as  a  livery  barn.  It  was  then  sold  to 
M.  B.  Downend,  who  removed  it  to  his  farm  a  short  distance  east  of 
Toulon  and  converted  it  into  a  cattle  shed. 

THE  ANNEX 

The  fireproof  building,  immediately  west  of  the  courthouse,  which 
for  want  of  a  better  name  is  here  called  the  annex,  was  erected  for 
the  pin-poses  of  obtaining  more  room  for  the  transaction  of  county 
business  and  providing  a  safe  depository  for  the  jiublic  records.  It 
had  its  inception  on  September  12,  1883,  when  James  H.  Quinn,  the 
supervisor  from  Goshen  Township,  offered  the  following  preamble 
and  resolution: 

"Whereas,  it  is  the  duty  of  the  board  of  supervisors  to  provide 
necessary  bviildings  and  suitable  fireproof  safes  or  offices  to  keep  and 
inoperly  protect  the  records  of  the  county,  and 

"Whereas,  the  present  buildings  and  offices  of  Stark  County, 
Illinois,  are  entirely  inadequate  for  that  purpose,  both  as  to  capacity 
and  protection  from  fire,  and  each  property  holder  in  the  county, 
as  w'ell  as  each  one  who  is  affected  by  the  records  of  the  county,  is 
without  such  protection  as  an  ordinarily  thoughtful  and  prudent  man 
would  provide  for  his  own  ^^rivate  interests,  and 

"Whereas,  the  finances  of  the  county  are  such  that  we  can  and 
should  immediately  make  such  provision  as  we  are  required  by  law, 
and  in  duty  bound  to  do  by  the  obligation  of  the  oath  of  our  office; 
it  is  therefore 

"Resolved  l)y  this  board,  and  we  do  hereby  appropriate  the  sum 
of  .$6,000  for  the  purjiose  of  building  a  suitable  fireproof  structure 
for  offices  and  for  the  records  of  said  county,  said  offices  to  be  built  on 
the  coin-fhouse  square  in  the  Village  of  Toulon,  in  said  county,  and 
we  do  further  direct  that  the  said  sum  of  money  be  levied  and  extended 
ujjon  the  tax  books  of  the  respective  townships  that  are  now  being- 
prepared  for  the  taxes  assessed  for  the  year  1883." 

Ujjon  the  roll  being  called,  the  supervisors  from  Goshen.  Elmira, 
Toulon  and  West  Jersey  townships  voted  aye;  and  those  from  Essex, 
Osceola,  Penn  and  ^"alley  voted  no.  The  result  being  a  tie  vote,  the 
resolution  was  declared  lost.  The  next  day  JNIr.  Quinn.  not  willing 
to  accept  defeat,  presented  another  resolution  to  appropriate  $G.000 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  81 

for  a  fireproof  building,  provided:  "That  the  sum  of  $2,000  be  raised 
by  the  eitizens  of  the  said  Village  of  Toulon  and  api)ropriated  by  thcni 
to  aid  in  the  erection  and  construction  of  said  lircproof  building,  in 
addition  to  the  above  named  sum  of  $(),000." 

After  some  discussion  this  resolution  was  laid  on  the  table  and  no 
further  action  in  the  matter  was  taken  until  the  following  spring. 
On  April  29,  1884.,  the  resolution  was  taken  from  the  table  and  upon 
the  final  vote  was  rejected.  Robert  Armstrong,  the  member  of  the 
board  from  Elmira  Township,  then  offered  a  resolution  similar  in 
character  to  that  of  IMr.  Quinn,  except  that  the  amount  to  be  appro- 
priated was  left  blank,  to  be  filled  in  after  the  cost  of  such  a  building 
was  ascertained,  and  the  peojjle  of  Toulon  were  not  required  to  appro- 
priate any  part  of  the  cost  of  said  building.  Mr.  Armstrong  and 
William  P.  Caverly  were  appointed  a  committee  to  procure  plans, 
specifications  and  estimates  and  report  at  the  next  meeting  of  the 
boai'd. 

On  31ay  27,  1884,  they  reported  that  they  had  employed  Charles 
Ulricson,  an  architect  of  Peoria,  to  make  plans,  which  were  submitted 
to  and  approved  by  tlie  board.  The  next  day,  on  motion  of  J.  S. 
Atherton,  the  sum  of  $7,.)0()  was  appropriated  for  the  building  and 
W  .  P.  Caverly,  of  Toulon,  Robert  Armstrong,  of  Elmira,  and  .lohn 
Jordan,  of  Essex,  were  appointed  a  building  committee.  Rids  were 
advertised  for  and  were  opened  on  .Inly  14.  1884.  The  contract  was 
awarded  to  John  Volk  &  Company,  of  Rock  Island,  for  $7,414.  and 
^V.  P.  Caverly  was  appointed  to  oversee  the  erection  of  the  building. 
In  this  fireproof  structure  are  the  offices  of  the  recorder,  surveyor, 
county  and  circuit  clerks. 

THE  COUNTY  JAIL 

A  careful  seairli  tlirough  the  records  fails  to  reveal  just  when  and 
how  the  first  jail  in  Stark  County  was  built.  For  several  years  after 
the  organization  of  the  county  prisoners  were  kept  in  the  jails  of 
some  of  the  adjacent  counties.  On  September  8,  184(),  the  county 
commissioners  ordered  the  treasurer  to  pay  to  the  treasurer  of  Mar- 
shall County  the  sum  of  $134.03  "for  keeping,  boarding  and  guarding 
Josiah  Kemp  and  Robert  Brown,"  etc. 

The  next  entry  in  the  commissioners'  record  relating  to  a  jail  is 
found  in  the  minutes  of  September  3,  1849,  when  the  following  war- 
rants were  drawn  on  the  county  treasury  for  labor  or  material  used 
in  building  a  fence  around  the  jail  lot  at  the  southwest  cornei-  of 


82  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

Franklin  and  Jefferson  streets,  opposite  the  public  squai'e:  Alexan- 
der xVhel.  $10.62;  Jacob  Holgate,  $8..-)():  David  Winter,  $5.2.5;  John 
A.  Williams  (for  self  and  boy),  $10.00;  Henry  ^Vhite,  $10..J0, 
making  a  total  allowance  of  $4.4.. 87  for  the  fence. 

Just  a  year  later — September  3,  18.50 — the  clerk  was  ordered  "to 
make  out  and  transmit  to  the  clerk  of  Knox  County  so  much  of  the 
record  as  may  be  necessary  to  exhibit  the  amount  i)aid  by  the  County 
of  Stark  for  expenses  incurred  by  AVashiugton  Stair,  a  prisoner 
in  the  Stark  Count)'  jail  on  change  of  venue  from  said  County  of 
Knox,"  etc. 

From  these  three  entries  it  may  be  seen  that  the  jail  was  built 
some  time  between  the  years  1840  and  1850 — probably  in  1849,  at 
the  time  the  lot  was  fenced.  It  was  a  brick  building,  the  jail  proper 
being  on  the  first  floor,  Avhile  upstairs  were  living  rooms  for  the  jailer 
and  his  family.  The  brick  walls  of  the  lower  story  were  reinforced 
by  a  lining  of  heavy  timbers,  studded  with  nails.  Init  even  this  precau- 
tion was  not  sufficient  to  prevent  prisoners  from  working  their  way  to 
liberty  when  they  were  so  inclined.  There  was  at  least  one  jail 
delivery  that  is  still  remembered  by  old  settlers. 

It  was  a  sort  of  oiien  secret  that  "Uncle"  John  Culbertson  was  in 
the  habit  of  keeping  a  considerable  sum  of  money  about  his  house. 
One  Sunday  morning,  while  ]Mr.  Culbertson  and  his  family  were 
attending  church,  four  men  broke  into  the  house  and  ransacked  until 
they  found  at  least  a  portion  of  the  gold  and  silver  coin,  which  they 
divided  into  four  shares  and  concealed  the  money  in  hollow  trees  near 
Toulon.  There  was  a  slight  snow  on  the  ground,  and  when  3Ir.  Cul- 
bertson returned  from  church  and  saw  what  had  happened  he  raised 
the  alarm.  The  neighbors  soon  gathered  and  had  no  difficulty  in  track- 
ing the  housebreakers  into  the  woods,  where  three  parcels  of  the 
money  were  recovered.  The  men  were  afterward  arrested  and  con- 
fined in  the  old  jail,  where  they  kept  up  a  noise  every  night,  singing, 
hallooing,  etc..  to  prevent  the  sheriff  from  hearing  their  efforts  to 
break  through  the  wall.  The  only  heat  in  the  cell  room  was  furnished 
by  a  stove.  Heating  the  ])oker  in  the  stove,  the  prisoners  used  it  to 
burn  out  a  section  of  the  timber,  hanging  their  clothes  over  the  place 
during  the  day  so  that  their  work  would  not  be  discovered.  After  the 
timber  was  burned  away  they  pounded  a  hole  through  the  brick  wall — 
singing  and  yelling  all  the  time  as  usual — and  made  a  dash  for  free- 
dom. Their  escape  was  soon  discovered,  however,  and  a  pursuit  insti- 
tuted that  resulted  in  the  recapture  of  the  fugitives.  The  Civil  war 
was  on  at  the  time  and  they  were  given  the  oi^portunity  of  enlisting, 


corx'i^   .lAii.  AM)  siii;i;iii-s  kksiuknck.  TdiLoN 


UNiVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 
URBANA 


HISTORY  OF  STAKK  COUNTY  83 

instead  of  .spending  a  term  in  prison.     Tliey  accepted  the  alternative 
and  entered  the  army. 

In  Decemhcr.  18().>,  the  sheriff'  was  iHrectcd  to  ascertain  tlie  cost 
of  two  iron  cells  for  the  jail.  The  following  March  John  ^I.  Jirown, 
then  sheriff,  reported  that  two  cells  wonld  cost  $1,150,  hut  the  hoard 
of  supervisors  decided  that  it  was  too  nuich  money  to  spend  on  a 
jail  that  had  alxnit  outlived  its  usefulness  and  the  cells  were  not 
installed.  Xo  mcncnicnt  for  the  erection  of  a  new  jail  was  made  for 
nearly  thirty  years  after  that  date,  notwithstanding  that  every  grand 
jury  for  the  greater  pait  of  that  period  condennied  the  jail  as  unsafe 
mid  unsanitary.  On  ]Mareh  1,  189.5,  Sheriff  Donald  INIurchison  suh- 
mitted  to  the  hoard  of  su])ervisors  the  following  report: 

"To  the  Honorable  Board  of  Supervisors  of  Stark  County, 
Illinois: 

"Gentlemen: — The  statute.  Chapter  75,  Section  T2,  makes  it  the 
duty  of  the  sheriff,  from  time  to  time,  to  report  to  the  board  the 
condition  of  the  county  jail,  and  the  fact  that  the  board  may,  in  some 
measure  at  least,  be  ac(|uainte(l  with  the  condition  of  the  jail  does 
not  relieve  the  sheriff  from  the  duty  of  making  such  a  report,  or  of 
the  responsibility  whicii  would  attach  to  his  failure  to  make  known 
to  the  board  the  condition  of  the  jail.  Therefore,  I  would  rejjort  to 
your  honorable  board : 

"First — That  the  jail  is  in  such  a  condition  that  it  would  he  con- 
sidered unfit  for  the  confinement  of  brute  beasts,  much  less  a  fit  place 
for  the  confinement  of  human  beings.  It  is  a  pure  impossibility  either 
to  ventilate  or  light  (except  with  artificial  light)  the  miserable  den. 

"Second — It  is  in  such  a  condition  that  it  is  utterly  impossible  to 
confine  and  keep  prisoners  safely  within  its  walls. 

"Third — It  is  in  such  a  condition  that  it  is  wholly  lacking  in  facili- 
ties for  liandling  prisoners  witli  safety. 

"Fourth — There  is  only  one  apartment  or  cell  for  all  classes  of 
prisoners,  whereas,  the  statute.  Chapter  75,  Section  11,  forbids  the 
confining  of  men  and  women  together,  and  minors  with  notoi'ious 
offenders  in  the  same  room.  I  would  therefore  urge  on  the  board 
the  necessity  of  at  once  making  such  rei)airs  and  imjjrovements  on 
the  jail  as  will  afford  proper  light  and  ventilation,  and  such  as  will 
insure,  at  least  to  a  reasonable  degree,  the  safe  keeping  and  handling 
of  ])ri.soners.  Also,  to  ])i-ovide  such  apartments  as  will  enable  the 
jailer  to  com])ly  with  the  statute  in  kee])ing  the  vai'ious  classes  of 
prisoners  apart  as  above  set  forth.  The  roof  leaks  badly  and  needs 
rejDairing.     All  of  which  is  respectfully  submitted. 

"DoxAi.D  MuRCHisoN,  Sheriff." 


84  IIISTOKV  OF  STAHK  COUNTY 

The  board  took  the  sheriff's  report  under  advisement  and  after 
exaniinini>-  the  jail  decided  that  ^Ir.  ]Murchison's  caustic  criticisms 
were  not  witiiout  foundation.  On  -May  2,  18t).5,  the  cliairman  of  the 
board  was  instructed  to  procure  plans  and  estimates  for  a  ne\v  jail 
and  report  at  the  next  meeting. 

On  .July  3.  189.),  it  was  "moved  and  seconded  that  the  supervisors 
build  a  jail  for  Stark  County,  not  to  exceed  the  cost  of  $8,000,  pro- 
vided they  can  sell  the  west  eighty  acres  of  land  belonging  to  the 
poor  farm,  at  not  less  than  $80  per  acre,  and  apply  the  proceeds  as 
jjart  payment  on  said  jail." 

On  the  same  date  the  clerk  was  ordered  to  advertise  for  bids  on 
the  west  eighty  acres  of  the  poor  farm  and  on  the  old  jail  lot.  and 
also  for  bids  for  the  construction  of  a  new  jail  until  10  o'clock  A.  31., 
August  0,  189.5.  When  the  bids  were  opened  it  was  found  that  the 
Champion  Iron  Works  had  submitted  the  best  proposition,  offering 
to  build  the  jail  comidete  for  $7,"200,  and  that  concern  was  awarded 
the  contract.  All  bids  on  the  eighty  acres  of  land  were  rejected  and 
the  board  levied  a  tax  that  would  net  $8,000  foi-  the  construction 
of  the  jail.  The  southwest  corner  of  the  public  square  was  selected  as 
the  location  and  John  P.  Williams  was  employed  to  superintend  the 
building  of  the  jail.  It  was  completed  hi  JNlarch,  189(j.  With  the 
new  jail,  which  includes  a  residence  for  the  sheriff.  Stark  County  can 
claim  to  be  as  well  provided  in  this  i-espect  as  any  county  of  its  class 
in  the  State  of  Illinois. 

THE  POOR  FARM 

Concerning  the  first  poorhouse,  or  poor  farm,  in  Stark  County. 
Mrs.  Shallenberger,  on  page  82  of  her  history,  says :  "The  first  county 
2)oorhouse  was  located  a  little  northeast  of  Toidon,  on  what  was  long 
familiarly  known  as  'Adam  Perry's  place:'  indeed  the  house  was  but 
the  old  residence  enlarged  and  adapted  in  various  ways  to  its  new 
duties.  But  this  being  deemed  insufficient  to  meet  the  demands  liable 
to  be  made  by  the  increase  of  ])au])ers  as  the  county  grew  in  years  and 
numbers,  it  was  decided  in  1808  to  buy  a  larger  farm,  farther  from 
town,  and  to  erect  upon  it  a  good,  substantial  and  commodious  poor- 
house.  Accordingly  a  tract  of  land  described  as  the  northeast  (|uarter 
of  Section  12,  ToMiiship  12  north,  Range  5  east,  in  Stark  County, 
was  ])urchased  from  3Ir.  Davis  Lowman.  at  a  cost  of  about  eight 
thousand  dollars,  and  early  in  the  following  year  preparations  for 
building  began — the  committee  in  charge  being  C.  M.  S.  Lyons,  J.  H. 
Quinn  and  H.  Shivvers. 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COT^XTY  85 

"The  1)1(1  buildings  were  sold,  the  old  iarm  platted  and  sold  in 
small  lots,  and  the  eontract  for  the  new  building-  let  to  William 
Caverly  for  the  sum  of  -$1(),()()0.  This  was  eonsidered  by  some  an 
unneeessary  expense,  eonsidering  the  small  number  of  our  paupers, 
and  the  project  met  with  some  opposition  and  a  good  deal  of  ridicule." 

The  poorhouse  erected  in  1S()8  was  destroyed  by  tire  in  the  early 
part  of  December,  1«8().  and  a  few  days  later  Edward  Colgan,  chair- 
man of  the  board  of  supervisors,  was  authorized  to  "make,  sign  and 
execute  proofs  of  loss,"  etc.,  in  order  to  obtain  the  indemnity  from 
the  insurance  companies — $2,.j0()  in  each  of  two  companies.  Some 
of  the  citizens  of  the  county  advocated  the  purchase  of  a  new  farm 
and  the  board  ajjpointed  a  committee  to  examine  farms,  ascertain  the 
prices  at  which  they  could  !)c  purchased  and  report.  Several  farms 
were  examined  by  the  committee,  but  upon  final  consideration  of 
the  matter  the  board  decided  to  retain  the  farm  already  owned  by 
the  county,  and  on  Jamiary  18,  1887,  appointed  John  F.  Rhodes, 
John  W.  Smith  and  John  Ilazen  a  conunittee  to  build  a  new  poor- 
house  on  the  old  foundation  walls  according  to  plans  made  by  John 
Hawks.  On  February  18,  1887,  the  building  committee  entered  into 
a  contract  with  Ira  F.  Ilayden  to  erect  the  new  poorhouse  for  $0,909, 
and  some  additional  ex])ense  was  incurred  in  repairing  the  foundation 
walls  where  they  had  been  injured  by  the  fire,  making  the  total  cost 
oi'  the  l)uil(ling  a  little  over  seven  thousand  dollars.  It  was  completed 
and  accepted  by  the  board  on  September  14,  1887.  has  been  kept  in 
good  re])air  and  is  still  in  use. 

now   THE   COUXTV    WAS   NAMED 

In  the  early  part  f)f  this  chapter  is  given  an  account  of  the  effort 
to  establish  Coffee  County  in  the  legislative  session  of  18.3(i-37,  as 
taken  from  ^Nlrs.  Shallenberger's  work  on  Stark  County.  The  same 
autlioi-  says,  regarding  the  name  of  Stark  County:  "To  whose  taste 
this  name  was  due  is  sometimes  a  matter  of  curiosity  among  our 
people,  who  had  formerly  suggested  'Coffee.'  There  is  no  means  of 
ascei'taining  this  to  a  certainty  now,  and  it  is  a  matter  of  small 
importance,  but  the  writer  is  well  convinced  that  the  name  was  a 
])olitic  concession  on  the  part  of  Colonel  Henderson  to  the  wishes  of 
his  constituents  from  Yermont,  many  of  whom  lived  about  Osceola 
Grove,  and  who  also  urged  Bennington  as  a  suitable  name  for  the 
county  seat." 

John  Stark,  in  whose  honor  the  county  was  named,  was  a  native 


86  HISTORY  OF  STAKK  COUNTY 

of  New  Hanii).sliirc,  where  he  was  horn  on  Augxist  28,  1728,  of  Irish 
l^arents,  who  came  to  iVnieriea  some  ten  years  l)ef()re.  He  served 
with  distinction  in  the  colonial  army  during  the  Revolutionary  war 
and  \\as  a  memher  of  the  council  that  arranged  the  terms  of  General 
Rurgoyne's  surrender  at  Saratoga.  With  seventy-one  Irishmen  in 
his  command,  he  was  at  the  hattle  of  Runker  Hill,  and  it  is  said  he 
was  the  officer  who  first  gave  the  command:  "Hold  your  tire,  hoys, 
till  you  see  the  whites  of  their  eyes,"  a  jjolicy  that  carried  death  and 
defeat  to  the  forces  of  General  Howe.  On  another  occasion,  at  the 
lieginning  of  an  engagement,  he  urged  his  men  forward  hy  saying: 
"\Ve  must  win  today,  or  tonight  ]MoIly  Stark  is  a  widow."  AMiile 
it  may  have  been  a  source  of  some  regret  to  Colonel  Henderson  that 
the  county  was  not  named  after  his  old  military  commander,  it  was 
named  for  a  hero  who  was  no  less  illustrious. 


CHAPTER  VII 
TOWXSIIir  HISTORY 

ORIGIN  or  THE  TOWNSHIP ITRST  TOWNSHIPS  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES 

justices'  DISTKlfTS   IN   STARK   COUNTY ESTABLISHMENT  OF   CIVIL 

TO\\NSHlPS    IN     18.33 ELMIRA ESSEX — GOSHEN OSCEOLA PENN 

TOULON VALLEY WEST    JERSEY MILITARY    LAND    ENTRIES    IN 

EACH HOW    THE    TOWNSHIPS    WERE    NAMED EARLY    SETTLERS — 

PRESENT  DAY  CONDITIONS — RAILROADS SCHOOLS POPULATION  AND 

WEALTH. 

The  townsliip  as  a  suhordiiuite  civic  division  orioinatcd  in  England 
in  Anglo-Saxon  times  and  was  called  the  "tunscipe."  It  was  the  polit- 
ical unit  of  poi)ular  expression,  which  took  the  form  of  a  mass 
convention  or  popnlar  assembly  called  the  "tun  moot."  The  chief 
executive  of  the  tunscipe  was  the  "tun  reeve,"  who,  with  the  parish 
priest  and  four  lay  delegates,  rejirescnted  the  tunscipe  in  the  shire 
meeting.  Says  Fiske:  "Aliout  871  A.  D.  King  Alfred  instituted  a 
small  territorial  .subdivision  nearest  in  character  to  and  probal)ly  con- 
taining the  germ  of  the  American  township." 

In  the  settlement  of  New  England  the  colonies  there  were  first 
governed  by  a  general  court,  or  legislature,  composed  of  the  governor 
and  a  small  council,  generally  made  up  of  the  most  influential  citizens, 
'i'he  general  court  was  also  a  judicial  body,  deciding  both  civil  and 
criminal  causes.  In  JNIarch,  103.5,  the  (Jeneral  Court  of  Massachusetts 
])assc(l  the  following  ordinance: 

■Whereas,  particular  towns  have  many  things  that  concern  only 
themselves,  and  the  ordering  of  their  own  affairs  and  disposing  of 
l)usiness  in  their  own  town,  therefore,  the  freemen  of  every  town,  or 
a  majority  of  them,  shall  have  the  ])ower  to  dispose  of  their  own  lands 
and  woods,  and  all  the  appurtenances  of  said  towns;  to  grant  lots, 
and  to  make  such  orders  as  may  concern  the  well  ordering  of  their  own 
towns,  not  repugnant  to  the  laws  and  orders  established  by  the  Cien- 
eral  Court. 

"Said  freemen,  or  a  majority  of  them,  shall  also  have  power  to 
choose  their  own  particular  officers,  such  as  constables,  petty  magis- 

87 


88  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

trates,  surveyors  for  the  highways,  and  may  impose  fines  for  violation 
of  rules  established  by  the  freemen  of  the  town;  provided  that  sueh 
fines  shall  in  no  single  ease  exeeed  twenty  shillings." 

That  was  the  beginning  of  the  township  system  in  the  United 
States.  Connecticut  followed  with  a  similar  provision  regarding  local 
self  government,  and  from  New  England  the  system  was  carried  to 
the  new  states  of  the  Middle  West. 

In  the  southern  colonies  the  county  was  made  the  political  unit. 
Kight  counties  were  organized  in  Virginia  in  H'uii  and  the  system 
spread  to  the  other  colonies,  except  in  South  Carolina  the  counties 
are  called  districts  and  in  Louisiana,  ])arishes.  The  Illinois  country 
became  a  comity  of  ^'^irginia  after  the  conquest  by  George  Rogers 
Clark  in  1778. 

The  first  provision  for  a  civil  township  northwest  of  the  Ohio 
River  was  made  by  Governor  St.  Clair  and  the  judges  of  the  North- 
west Territory  in  17!K).  The  term  "civil  township"  is  here  used  to 
distinguish  the  township  with  local  officers  from  the  Congressional 
township  of  the  Government  survey.  The  latter  is  always  six  miles 
square,  but  the  civil  township  varies  in  size  and  its  boundaries  are 
often  marked  by  natural  features,  such  as  creeks,  rivers,  etc. 

In  New  England  the  townshij)  is  still  far  more  important  in  local 
matters  than  the  county.  The  town  meeting,  which  is  the  successor 
of  the  old  "tun  moot"  of  Anglo-Saxon  days,  wields  great  influence 
in  sueh  matters  as  the  levying  of  local  taxes,  appropriating  funds 
and  issuing  bonds  for  j^nWic  improvements  within  the  townshi]) 
limits.  In  the  South  the  township  is  little  more  than  name,  all  the 
local  business  being  transacted  by  the  county  authorities.  Through- 
out the  great  Middle  West  there  is  a  well  balanced  combination  of 
the  two  systems,  schools  and  roads  being  usually  in  charge  of  town- 
ship officials,  while  business  that  affects  more  than  one  civil  township 
is  handled  by  the  county. 

When  Illinois  Avas  first  admitted  into  the  Union  as  a  state,  no 
provision  was  made  in  its  constitution  for  the  introduction  of  a  town- 
ship organization.  This  idea  may  have  been  iniierited  from  its  old 
county  organization,  first  established  in  1778,  while  the  territory  com- 
])rising  the  state  was  claimed  by  Virginia.  The  nearest  approach  to 
the  civil  township  was  the  "justice's  district."  Section  8  of  the  act 
of  Mai-eh  2.  1839,  organizing  the  Comity  of  Stark,  provides  that  the 
county  commissioners,  as  soon  as  elected,  or  within  ten  days,  "shall 
proceed  to  lay  off  said  county  into  justices'  districts,"  etc. 

l^msuant  to  this  provision,  on  Thursday,  April  4,  1839,  the  county 


HISTORY  OF  STxVRK  COUNTY  89 

coiiiinissioners — Calvin    ^Vin.sk)\v,  Jonathan   Hodgson   and    Stephen 
Trickle — established  the  following  justices'  districts: 

1.  Township  14,  Ranges  G  and  7.  (This  district  included  the 
present  townships  of  Elmira  and  Osceola.) 

2.  "To  eoninience  at  the  northeast  corner  of  Township  13,  Range 
7;  tlienee  west  to  the  northwest  corner  of  Section  3,  Township  13, 
Range  0;  thence  south  to  the  southwest  corner  of  Section  34;  thence 
east  to  the  southwest  corner  of  Section  3.5 ;  thence  south  to  the  south- 
west corner  of  Section  3.5,  Townsiiip  V2,  Range  (i;  thence  east  to 
the  southeast  corner  of  Township  12,  Range  7,  and  thence  north  to 
the  place  of  beginning."  (As  thus  established  No.  '2  contained  the 
])resent  townships  of  Penn  and  Valley  and  practically  the  east  half 
of  Toulon  and  Kssex.) 

3.  "Beginning  at  the  southwest  corner  of  Township  12,  Range 
5;  thence  east  to  the  southwest  corner  of  Section  35,  Township  12, 
Range  (J;  thence  north  to  the  southwest  corner  of  Section  11;  thence 
west  to  the  southwest  corner  of  Section  7.  Townshi])  12,  Range  5; 
tlience  south  to  the  place  of  begiiuiing."  (This  district  included  a 
strip  four  miles  wide  and  ten  miles  long  in  the  southwest  corner  of 
tlie  county.) 

4.  "Beginning  at  the  northwest  corner  of  Township  13,  Range 
.5;  thence  south  to  the  southwest  corner  of  Section  7,  Township  12, 
Range  .>;  thence  east  to  the  southeast  corner  of  Section  10;  thence 
north  to  the  northeast  of  Section  3,  Township  13,  Range  .5;  thence 
west  to  the  place  of  beginning."  (No.  4  contained  thirty-two  square 
miles,  including  the  western  two-thirds  of  Goshen  Townshiji  and  eight 
sections  in  the  northwest  part  of  \\'est  Jersey.) 

.).  "Beginning  at  the  northeast  corner  of  Section  4,  Township 
13.  Range  6;  thence  west  to  the  noithwest  corner  of  Section  2,  Town- 
ship 13,  Range  .5;  thence  south  to  the  southwest  corner  of  Section  11, 
Township  12,  Range  .5;  thence  east  to  the  southeast  corner  of  Section 
3;  thence  west  to  the  northwest  corner  of  Section  3;  thence  north  to 
tlie  i)lace  of  beginning."  (This  district  included  all  that  part  of  the 
county  not  contained  in  the  other  districts,  to-wit:  The  west  half 
of  the  ])resent  Township  of  Toulon:  eight  sections  in  the  nortliwest 
coi-ner  of  Kssex  Township,  a  strip  two  miles  wide  oft'  the  east  side 
of  (ioshen  Township,  and  four  sections  in  the  northeast  cornei-  of 
West  Jersej^  Township.) 

Assessors  were  appointed  for  the  several  districts  as  follows:  No. 
1.  Isaac  Spencer;  No.  2,  John  W.  x\gard;  No.  3,  J.  II.  Barnett; 
No.  4.  Silas  Richards;  No.  5,  Adam  Perrv. 


90  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

On  ]March  3,  1840,  the  board  of  county  commissioners  ordered 
that  each  of  the  justices'  districts  be  made  an  election  precinct  and 
names  were  adopted  instead  of  numbers.  District  Xo.  1  became 
Osceola  precinct;  No.  2,  Wyoming;  No.  3,  Massillon;  No.  4, 
Lafayette,  and  No.  5,  CentraL 

Section  6,  Article  7,  of  the  Constitution  of  1848  reads  as  follows: 
"The  legislature  shall  pro\ide  by  law  that  the  legal  voters  of  any 
comity  in  the  state  may  adopt  a  township  form  of  government  within 
the  county,  by  a  majority  of  the  votes  cast  at  any  general  election 
within  such  county." 

In  accordance  with  this  constitutional  provision,  the  General 
Assembly  jjassed  an  act  on  February  12,  1849,  authorizing  the  various 
counties  of  the  state  to  vote  on  the  question  of  adopting  a  township 
organization.  In  Stark  County  the  question  was  voted  upon  at  the 
general  election  held  on  Tuesday,  November  2,  18.52.  The  total 
number  of  votes  cast  at  that  election  ^^'as  774,  of  which  443  were  in 
favor  of  the  adoption  of  a  township  form  of  government  and  173 
were  ojjposed,  1.58  voters  not  expressing  themselves  upon  the  question. 
The  records  of  the  commissioners'  court  for  jNIonday,  December  6, 
1852,  contains  the  following  entry: 

"And  it  appearing  to  the  court  that  a  majority  of  all  the  votes 
cast  at  said  election  were  in  favor  of  township  organization,  it  is 
therefore  ordered  bj'  the  court  that  Theodore  F.  Hurd,  Henry  Bi-eese 
and  Calvin  L.  Eastman  be,  and  they  are  hereby  appointed,  commis- 
sioners to  divide  the  countv  into  towns  or  townships  as  required  by 
law." 

Commissions  were  issued  to  these  three  men  December  13.  18.52. 
They  met  at  the  courthouse  in  Toulon  on  JNIonday,  January  3.  18.53, 
and  divided  the  county  into  eight  townships.  On  ^larch  7,  18.53,  they 
filed  their  report  with  the  commissioners  and  it  was  made  a 
matter  of  record.  The  townships  as  then  established  have  never  been 
changed,  to-wit:  Elmira  Township  includes  Township  14,  Range  H; 
Essex,  Township  12,  Range  6;  Goshen,  Townshij)  13.  Range  .5: 
Osceola,  Township  14.  Range  7;  Penn.  Townshij)  13.  Range  7; 
Toulon.  Township  13.  Range  (!:  Valley,  Township  12,  Range  7;  \Vest 
Jersey,  Townsliip  12.  Range  .5. 

ELMIRA  TOAVXSPriP 

This  townshiiJ  is  one  of  the  northern  tier.  It  embraces  Congres- 
sional Township  14,  Range  6,  and  therefore  has  an  area  of  thirty-six 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUXTY  91 

square  miles.  On  the  nortli  it  is  hounded  by  Bureau  County;  on  tlie 
east  by  Osceola  Township;  on  the  soiitli  by  Toulon  Townshi]),  and  nn 
tile  west  by  the  County  of  Plenry.  The  surface  is  generally  level 
or  (gently  undulatin,L>-  and  is  well  watered.  The  west  fork  of  the 
Spoon  River  flows  diagonally  across  the  township  from  northwest  to 
southeast;  Jack  Creek  touches  the  southwest  corner,  and  there  are  a 
few  minor  streams.  The  soil  is  fertile  and  some  of  the  finest  farms 
in  the  county  are  in  this  township.  Originally  there  was  some  native 
timber  along  the  water  courses  and  artiheial  groves  have  been  planted 
around  some  of  the  houses  upon  the  prairie.  The  township  has  some 
valuable  coal  deposits,  ])ut  they  have  never  been  fully  developed. 

In  a  preceding  chapter  mention  was  made  of  the  land  warrants 
filed  on  Stark  County  lands  by  veterans  of  the  War  of  1812.  During 
the  years  1817-lH  more  than  three  score  military  claims  were  tiled 
upon  lands  in  what  is  now  Klmira  Township.  Godfrey  Reemer 
located  a  claim  In  Section  1;  James  Thomas.  Robert  Hall,  A.  F. 
S])cncei' and  William  She])herd,  Section  'i:  Reuiieu  Close.  Section  1; 
John  Hughes  and  Charles  Armstrong,  Section  .3;  William  Walsh, 
Section  6;  John  Fleming,  Section  7;  David  Armstead  and  A.  O. 
Smith.  Section  8;  John  IMartin  and  Henry  Atkins,  Section  9;  James 
Patterson.  Richard  Gates,  Charles  Smith  and  Frederick  Jenkins, 
Section  11:  Richard  Howard,  Hemy  Shannon,  ^Nloses  Sears  and 
]^l)hraim  Small,  Section  1.3;  Michael  Conway,  Aaron  liurbank  and 
two  men  named  Roberts  and  Stenhert,  Section  17;  Daniel  (iaskel. 
Section  10;  Isaac  Smith,  Section  20:  William  Thompson,  John 
liainett.  Section  21;  Klias  Hughes,  Section  22:  Malbry  Palmer  and 
John  Potter,  Section  2.'};  John  Jones,  Section  24;  Benjamin  Barrett, 
Thomas  ^IcFaddeii  and  John  Wood,  Section  26;  James  D.  Wells, 
John  Ciowell  and  Henry  Davenport,  Section  27;  Bela  Dexter,  Sec- 
tion 28;  Francis  IJncoln,  James  Tiner  and  Bird  I^avender,  Sectioii 
2!);  Hradford  \Villis  and  Stephen  Benjamin,  Section  30;  Chai'les 
Board  and  Henry  Cruser,  Section  .31  ;  .John  Timberlake  and  W.  S. 
Tom])kins,  Section  32;  Timothy  Weston,  Lewis  Bronson  and  .Folin 
\Vhitlock,  Section  .33:  Robert  Goodwin  and  Lewis  Green,  Section  34; 
Richard  Scott,  .John  Davis.  John  (liers  and  Seward  Walters,  Section 
3.5;  .James  Joyce,  Conrad  Sarr,  William  Sears  and  II.  Edwards, 
Section  36. 

The  first  settlement  in  the  townshi])  was  not  made,  however,  until 
in  December,  183.3.  Maj.  Robert  Moore,  who  conducted  a  ferry 
across  the  Illinois  River  at  Peoria,  had  obtained  a  ma])  showing  which 
lands  had  been  patented  under  the  military  bounty  act  and  which  were 


92  HISTORY  OF  STAKK  COUNTY 

subject  to  entry.  His  object  was  to  encourage  immigration  to  tbat 
pai't  of  the  county,  w  itli  a  view  to  building  u])  a  town,  of  which  he  was 
to  be  the  proprietor.  In  December,  IH.'J.j,  he  led  thither  a  party  of 
prospective  settlers,  auiong  whom  were  James  IJuswell,  Isaac  Spencer, 
Thomas  Watts,  Giles  A.  Dana  and  the  Pratts,  all  irom  Vermont. 
They  selected  lands  and  began  the  work  of  establishing  their  homes 
upon  the  frontier.  The  following  June  came  William  Hall  and  his 
wife,  Robert  and  Mary  Hall,  Archibald  and  Charles  ^"andyke, 
JNIyrtle  G.  Brace,  E.  S.  Brodhead  and  several  meml)ers  of  a  family 
named  Davis.  The  first  of  the  Sturms  family  had  located  at  Seeley's 
Point  as  early  as  1834.  Other  members  of  the  family  came  later  and 
located  claims  along  the  south  side  of  Osceola  Grove,  in  what  is  now 
Elmira  Township.  ^Irs.  Shallenberger  describes  the  Sturms  as  "regu- 
lar frontiersmen,  every  one  'mighty  hunters;'  of  tall  stature,  combin- 
ing strength  and  activity  in  an  unusual  degree.  Wearing  an  Indian 
garb  of  fringed  buckskins,  their  feet  encased  in  moccasins,  with  bowie 
knife  in  the  belt  and  rifle  on  the  shoulder;  no  wonder  many  a  new- 
comer started  from  them  in  aft'right,  supposing  they  had  encountered 
genuine  'scalpers.'  But  these  men  were  by  no  means  as  savage  as  they 
seemed,  but  had  hearts  to  which  friend  or  stranger  never  appealed  in 
vain." 

On  June  17,  1837,  the  Turnbull  and  Oliver  families  left  their 
"Bonnie  Scotland"  to  seek  homes  in  America.  After  a  voyage  of 
six  weeks  they  reached  Quebec,  and  nearly  six  weeks  more  were  con- 
sumed in  the  journey  to  Chicago.  From  there  they  went  to  Joliet, 
where  they  found  two  vacant  cabins,  which  they  were  permitted  to 
occupy,  the  settlers  there  showing  them  every  kindness.  But  they 
were  anxious  to  enter  lands  of  their  own.  At  Joliet  they  met  a  man 
named  Parker,  who  owned  a  quarter  section  of  land  in  what  is  now 
Stark  County,  and  John  Turnbull  set  out  on  foot  to  meet  Parker 
at  ^Vyoming,  his  intention  being  to  purchase  the  land.  He  did  not 
buy  Parker's  land,  however,  but,  after  looking  around  through  the 
new  settlement,  purchased  forty  acres  from  John  and  Thomas  Lyle. 
in  Osceola  Grove,  u]wu  which  there  was  a  small  cabin,  with  the  under- 
standing that  if  ^Ir.  Oliver  came  on  the  Lyles  would  sell  him  the 
adjoining  forty  acres.  On  February  14,  1838.  John  Turnbull  and 
Andrew  Oliver,  with  their  families,  took  possession  of  their  new  pur- 
chases. That  was  the  beginning  of  the  "Scotch  Colony"  in  Elmira. 
Says  INIrs.  Shallenberger:  "The  four  families,  consisting  of  eight 
Lyles  and  thirteen  of  the  Turnbulls  and  Olivers,  contrived  to  live  until 
s])i-ing  opened,  in  one  room,  and  that  one  16  by  18  feet.     That  they 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  9iJ 

succeeded  in  doing  this  harmoniously,  so  that  the  survivors  can  now 
look  hack  through  the  mists  of  nearly  forty  years,  and  make  merry 
over  the  experiences  of  that  tirst  winter  in  Osceola,  is  creditable  to  all 
concerned." 

Letters  from  the  Turnbulls  and  Olivers  to  friends  and  relatives 
in  Scotland  soon  brought  others  from  that  country,  and  the  JMurrays, 
the  Grieves,  the  Armstrongs,  the  ]McDonalds.  McRaes,  JNlurchisons. 
Finlaysons  and  McLennans  joined  the  Scottish  settlement  in  Stark 
County.  They  patiently  endured  the  hardships  and  inconveniences 
of  frontier  civilization,  and  with  that  industry  and  determination  that 
lia\  e  alwaj's  been  such  dominant  characteristics  of  the  Scotch  people 
they  built  up  a  neighborhood  that  is  remarkable  for  its  thrift  :nid 
independence. 

In  1837  a  jjostoffice  was  established  where  the  village  of  Osceola 
is  now  situated.  It  was  named  "Elmira"  by  Oliver  \Vhitakei-,  after 
his  old  home  in  New  York,  and  when  township  organization  went 
into  effect  in  18.5.'J  the  name  was  conferred  on  the  township. 

The  population  of  the  township  in  1910,  according  to  the  United 
States  census,  was  884,  and  in  1914  the  property  was  appraised  at 
$7.58,198  for  taxation — a  valuation  of  over  eight  hundred  dollars  for 
each  man,  woman  and  child  residing  in  the  township.  Elmira  has 
seven  schoolhouses.  valued  at  $1  ().()()().  and  employs  nine  teachers  in 
the  public  schools. 

ESSEX  TOWNSHIP 

Essex  is  the  middle  township  of  the  southern  tier  and  includes 
Congressional  Township  12,  Range  6.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north 
by  Toulon  Township;  on  the  east  by  Valley;  on  the  south  by  Peoria 
County,  and  on  the  west  by  the  Township  of  West  Jersey.  The 
Spoon  River  enters  from  the  north  about  two  miles  west  of  the  north- 
east corner  and  flows  in  a  southerly  direction  across  the  township, 
and  the  western  part  is  watered  by  Indian  Creek,  which  forms  a 
junction  with  Spoon  River  in  Section  33.  In  the  southeastern  part 
Camping  Run  and  Mvul  Run  flow  westwardly  through  a  small  section 
of  Essex,  their  waters  finally  nn'ngling  with  those  of  the  S])oon 
River.  Along  the  streams  the  surface  is  slightly  broken,  but  by 
far  the  greater  part  of  the  tow^nship  consists  of  a  gently  undulating 
surface,  with  a  fertile  soil,  and  there  is  very  little  waste  land. 

This  township  was  named  for  Isaac  Essex,  the  first  white  settler 
in  what  is  now  Stark  County.  Prior  to  the  inaugm-ation  of  the  town- 
shij)  system  in  18.53,  this  portion  of  the  county  was  known  as  Massillon 


94  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

Precinct.  Between  the  years  1817  and  1820  land  entries  were  made 
in  this  townshij)  under  the  ohl  MiUtary  Rounty  Act  as  follows: 

Section  1.  William  Kly  and  John  Trask;  Section  2.  John  McClf)ud 
and  ^Vl)ram  Walton;  Section  3,  aiaron  Graham  and  John  Xewkirk; 
Section  4,  Joseph  Cox,  Peter  Lawrence  and  Ralph  Tucker;  Section  6, 
William  Lloyd  and  James  McCray;  Section  7,  John  JNleeks;  Section 
8.  (xardner  Herring  and  Oilman  Smith;  Section  !).  Nathan  Bennett, 
Jarville  Chaft'ee,  John  A.  Newiiall  and  James  Zings;  Section  10, 
Benjamin  Davis,  R()l)ert  King.  John  B.  ]McKenny  and  John  ^Vorts- 
hough;  Section  11,  Tryon  Fuller,  Solomon  Libhy,  John  Odam  and 
Joseph  Wright;  Section  12,  Roswell  Post,  Harvey  Sperry  and  Joseph 
Woodmansee:  Section  13,  John  II.  ^Martin,  James  Reed,  James  Selah 
and  J.  II.  Winney;  Section  14.  John  Baptiste,  Benjamin  Lovell  and 
John  Lovell;  Section  15,  John  Bruce  and  Rufus  Stanley;  Section  17, 
Samuel  Banner,  George  Blanchard,  Aaron  Scott  and  Joseph  Elliott; 
Section  18,  Thomas  Hamilton  and  Jacob  House;  Section  10,  John 
Union  and  George  ^V.  ^Voods;  Section  20,  Thomas  Briggs  and  Jacob 
Yost;  Section  21.  Henry  Harmon,  Cornelius  Overlock,  Abram 
Parker  and  Abram  Prior;  Section  22,  Timothy  Green  and  John 
Miller;  Section  23,  Taylor  Hardin.  John  INlurray.  D.  A.  JMyers  and 
Israel  D.  Towle;  Section  24.  Uavid  Bell.  Charles  Cain  and  Henry 
Smith;  Section  2.5,  jNliehael  Colebrough,  Herman  Fisher,  Ldward 
Keough  and  Jeffrey  AVorthington ;  Section  26,  John  Francis,  Abra- 
ham Lucky,  George  IMiller  and  Amos  L.  Smith;  Section  27,  Orra 
Bardsley.  J.  V.  Fcagles,  George  Phipps  and  Peter  Pilgrim;  Section 
28.  John  ^IcLaughlin.  Joseph  Lutz  and  Samuel  Little;  Section  29, 
Ldmund  Ueady  and  Jt)hn  Dickaman;  Section  30,  Abraham  Birch 
and  Jeremiah  Hillers;  Section  31,  William  HoUings.  Joshua  Nelson 
and  Tyre  Nelson;  Section  33,  Charles  Austin,  James  Coleman  and 
Thomas  ]\Ierritt:  Section  34.  John  J.  Uunbar.  Silas  Hodson.  Ezra 
Hutchings  and  Consider  Yeames;  Section  3.3,  John  Hyatt,  Charles 
JNIaynard,  Francis  JMorrow  and  Reuben  Rowe;  Section  30,  Richard 
Ford,  Charles  Frost,  William  Goodman  and  Andrew  Gott. 

]Most  of  these  entries  were  for  a  quarter  section  each,  hence  it 
Avill  be  seen  that  more  than  fifteen  thousand  acres  of  the  land  in  Essex 
Township  were  claimed  on  land  wari'ants  by  the  veterans  of  the  War 
of  1812.  A  few  of  the  claimants  afterward  became  actual  settlers, 
but  the  greater  number  sold  their  titles,  which  caused  considerable 
trouble  to  those  who  came  in  later  years. 

Isaac  Essex,  the  original  Stark  County  pioneer,  located  u])on  the 
south  half  of  the  northeast  quarter  of  Section  15,  a  short  distance 


HISTOKY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  95 

west  of  the  Spoon  River,  about  two  miles  soutli  and  one  mile  west  of 
the  present  city  of  \Vyoming.  Here  he  built  his  cabin  in  the  spring 
of  1829,  cleared  a  few  acres  of  ground,  and  raised  that  year  the  first 
crop  ever  grown  by  civili/ed  man  in  Stark  County.  Compared  with 
])resent  day  conilitions  it  was  not  much  of  a  crop,  but  it  marked  the 
beginning. 

In  the  fall  of  1829  John  B.  Dodge  located  a  claim  and  built  a 
cabin  in  Section  14,  directly  east  of  Isaac  Essex.  His  cal)in  was  the 
second  house  in  the  county.  The  following  spring  Renjamin  Smith, 
Dodge's  father-in-law,  settled  in  Section  14..  His  son,  Greenleaf 
Smith,  came  a  little  later  and  located  in  the  same  neighborhood.  The 
three  cabins  of  Essex,  Dodge  and  Smith  constituted  the  only  habita- 
tions in  the  county  at  the  close  of  the  year  1830.  In  1831  came  \\i\- 
liam  D.  Grant,  Tiiomas  Essex,  David  Cooper,  John  E.  Owings  (who 
occupied  the  cabin  built  by  Dodge) ,  Sewell  and  William  P.  Smith,  and 
a  few  others,  all  of  whom  settled  in  what  is  now  Essex  Township. 

An  election  was  held  at  the  house  of  Renjamin  Smith  in  August, 
1881,  when  John  E.  Owings  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace.  He 
held  the  office  until  in  1834,  when  he  sold  out  to  Moses  Boardman 
and  removed  to  Canton,  Fulton  County. 

Retween  the  years  1831  and  183.5  a  number  of  immigrants  came 
in  and  established  homes  within  the  present  township  Ihnits.  Among 
them  were  the  Leeks,  father  and  son,  wiio  came  from  Tazewell  County 
early  in  1832  and  built  a  saw  and  grist  mill  on  the  Spoon  River,  a 
short  distance  southwest  of  where  Wyoming  now  stands.  The  mill 
was  washed  away  by  a  flood  about  four  years  later,  but  while  it  stood 
it  was  a  great  convenience  to  the  settlers.  Samuel  Merrill  settled  in  the 
northwestern  part  of  the  township,  about  a  mile  south  of  the  City  of 
Toulon,  and  a  little  farther  south  was  the  house  of  Elijah  iNIcClena- 
han,  Sr.,  where  the  first  election  was  held  after  Stark  County  was 
created  by  the  act  of  March  2,  1839.  Stephen  Worley  settled  south 
of  ^McClenahan  and  in  1834  Thomas  Winn  came  from  Indiana  and 
built  a  cabin  in  Section  16. 

Jarville  Chaffee,  who  laid  claim  to  a  part  of  Section  9  under  the 
IVIilitary  Rounty  Act  in  1818,  came  from  Michigan  in  ^Nlay,  1834,  and 
stopped  with  one  of  the  settlers  until  he  could  build  a  house  of  his 
own.  Concerning  that  house,  Leeson's  History  of  Stark  County 
says:  "Thinking  to  get  up  something  extra  he  split  the  logs,  white- 
washed the  inside,  and  had  an  upstairs  reached  by  a  ladder." 

To  Essex  Township  belongs  the  distinction  of  being  the  site  of 
the  first  postoffice  and  the  first  schoolhouse  in  Stark  County.     A 


96  HISTORY  OF  STAKK  COUNTY 

weekly  mail  route  was  established  from  Springfield,  via  Peoria,  to 
Galena  in  18.'}8  and  the  same  year  an  otfiee  was  opened  in  the  "Essex 
Settlement,"  with  Isaae  B.  Essex  as  postmaster.  The  neighbors  took 
turns  in  bringing  the  mail  from  the  "office  under  the  bluff"  in  Peoria 
County.  Mrs.  Shallenberger  says:  "The  office  was  an  old  boot 
box,  set  ui^on  pins  driven  into  the  wall,  high  and  dry,  and  above  the 
reach  of  the  children  in  the  cabin  of  Mr.  Essex.  In  1833  only  two 
newspapers  were  taken  in  the  county — one  by  Mr.  Essex  antl  the 
other  by  Benjamin  Smith.  At  this  date  two  weeks  were  required  to 
get  a  paper  from  Springfield,  and  a  proportionately  longer  time  to 
get  intelligence  from  Washington  or  the  East."  The  office  was  at  first 
called  Essex,  but  after  the  Town  of  Wyoming  began  to  grow  it  was 
removed  to  that  place  and  the  name  changed  to  Wyoming. 

By  the  act  of  IMarch  1,  1833,  Isaac  B.  Essex  was  appointed 
commissioner  of  the  school  fund  in  his  settlement  and  authorized  to 
sell  section  16.  The  section  was  sold  on  February  4,  1834,  for 
'$9(58.70.  JMadison  \Vinn,  in  a  paper  read  before  the  meeting  of  the 
Old  Settlers'  Association  in  1886,  says: 

"On  the  fourth  day  of  July,  1834,  the  people  came  together  for 
the  purpose  of  building  a  schoolhouse.  The  site  chosen  was  near  the 
northeast  corner  of  section  15,  in  Essex  Township.  The  building  was 
planned  to  be  twenty  feet  square  and  all  went  to  Avork  with  a  will, 
some  cutting,  some  hauling,  some  making  clapboards  and  others  build- 
ing. By  noon  it  was  built  up  Avaist  high,  and  there  coming  a  shower 
we  ari'anged  the  clajiboards  over  the  wall  and  underneath  ate  our 
Fourtli  of  July  dinner.  The  first  daj^  the  walls  were  built  up  to  the 
roof,  which  was  soon  covered,  and  from  Leek's  Mill  slabs  were  brought 
for  seats.  A  post  was  driven  into  the  ground  and  a  slab  laid  on  it  for 
a  teacher's  desk,  while  mother  earth  was  the  floor.  Adam  Perry 
commenced  school  about  July  1.5th,  with  about  thirty  scholars,  out  of 
which  number  I  am  the  only  one  living." 

Fi-oni  that  humble  beginning  the  school  system  of  Essex  has  de- 
veloped until  in  1914  the  township  had  ten  public  school  buildings, 
valued  at  $26, 7.50,  and  employed  sixteen  teachers.  One  of  the  school 
buildings  is  in  the  City  of  Wyoming. 

Two  lines  of  railway — the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  iSs:  Pacific  and  the 
Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy — furnish  transportation  to  the  people 
living  east  of  the  Spoon  River,  the  stations  being  Duncan  and  Wyo- 
ming, and  those  living  in  the  northwestern  part  of  the  townshij)  find 
their  railroad  accommodations  at  Toulon. 

The  population  of  Essex  ToMiiship  in  1910  was  1,131,  which  in- 


IIISTOllV  OF  STARK  COUNTY  97 

eluded  the  Third  AVard  of  the  City  of  Wyoming,  and  in  1914  the 
property  was  valued  tor  tax  ])urpose.s  at  .$87'2,44.(). 

tiOSHEX    TOWNSHIP 


of 


Congressional  townshij)  l.'i,  range  .5,  prior  to  the  introduction  o 
the  township  system  in  18.5:{,  was  known  as  "Lafayette  Preeinet." 
In  that  year  it  was  organized  as  a  eivil  township  and  was  named 
"(iosheii."  hecause  a  number  of  the  early  settlers  in  that  part  of  the 
county  came  from  tlie  Town  of  (loshen,  Clermont  County,  Ohio.  It 
is  hounded  on  the  north  by  Henry  County;  on  the  east  by  Toulon 
Township:  on  the  south  l)y  the  Township  of  West  Jersey,  and  on  the 
west  by  Knox  County.  The  surface  is  generally  level  or  slightly 
I'olling.  well  drained  by  Indian  Creek  and  its  tributaries  in  the  eastern 
l)art  and  by  AValnut  Ci-eek  in  the  southwest.  There  is  some  prairie 
land  in  the  township  and  the  Walnut  Creek  Valley  is  one  of  the  most 
fertile  jjortions  of  the  county. 

Probably  owing  to  the  fact  that  this  part  oi'  the  county  was  in- 
habited by  Indians  for  several  years  after  the  ^Var  of  1812.  fewer 
enti'ies  of  land  were  made  by  soldiers  in  Goshen  than  in  the  other 
to\\nships  of  Stark  County.  Consequently  the  early  settlers  here 
were  not  subjected  to  the  uncertainty  of  titles  that  attached  tt)  many 
other  parts  of  the  military  tract.  Among  those  who  entered  lands 
under  the  provisions  of  the  JNIilitary  Bounty  Act  were: 

Daniel  Shattuck,  E.  B.  Ware  and  James  Ware,  section  1:  Isaac 
Bingham.  Klisha  Courtney  and  Rubull  Parrish,  section  2;  Isaac  Fos- 
ter, section  7;  iVlcxander  Frazier  and  Francis  Tibbins,  section  11; 
Jesse  Bradbury,  Daniel  Hand  and  James  Matthews,  section  T2; 
(ieorge  Xewton  and  Henry  Webb,  section  13;  John  Foster,  section 
24';  Solomon  Dodd  and  Herman  Johnson,  section  2.5;  Jonas  Witti- 
ford,  section  3.5;  Matthew  Caldwell  and  Walter  Thornton,  section  30. 
After  the  removal  of  the  Indians  a  few  of  these  veterans  settled  upon 
their  claims,  but  most  of  the  lands  were  sold  to  speculators. 

The  first  settlements  in  this  section  were  made  in  1830,  some  nine 
years  before  the  organization  of  Stark  County.  ^lichacl  Fraker 
located  in  the  grove  a  short  distance  west  of  the  i)resent  Village  of 
Lafayette,  which  still  bears  the  name  of  Fraker's  Cirove.  There  he 
erected  a  hand  mill  for  the  use  of  himself  and  his  neighbors.  This 
mill  was  afterward  purchased  by  William  Dunbar,  one  of  the  ])ioneevs 
of  Goshen  Township,  familiarly  known  as  the  "Old  Hatter."  It  is 
said  that  settlers  from  all  parts  of  the  county  would  bring  their  furs — 


98  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

from  rabbit  to  bea\'er  skins — to  jMr.  Dunbar  to  have  them  made  into 
hats.  So  well  did  he  do  liis  work  his  hats  would  last  for  years,  the 
owner  coming  in  several  times  to  iiave  them  cleaned  and  reblocked. 
Other  early  settlers  were  the  ^liners,  Parrishes,  Ilitchcoeks,  Fitches 
and  a  few  other  families,  some  of  whom  lived  in  what  is  now  Stark 
County  and  the  others  just  across  the  line  in  Knox. 

In  18.34  Henry  ^NlcClenahan  settled  in  the  township,  entered  2-1-0 
acres  of  land  in  section  31,  and  continued  to  reside  there  until  his 
death  in  Julie,  1857.  The  next  year  (1835)  Conrad  and  Jacob  Emery 
came  from  Ohio  and  settled  in  the  township.  Conrad  Emery  was  a 
veteran  of  the  War  of  1812.  Xelson  Grant,  a  native  of  Connecticut, 
also  settled  in  Goshen  in  183.5.  John  White  came  with  his  family  from 
Ohio  in  1836  and  the  next  year  Sanuiel  Parrisli,  the  founder  of  the 
Parrish  family  in  Stark  County,  located  on  lands  which  he  had  pre- 
viously entered  in  Goshen  Township.  He  served  in  the  Revolutionary 
war,  afterward  settling  in  Canada  and  coming  from  that  country  to 
Illinois.  He  joined  the  ]Mormon  Church  about  a  year  after  coming 
to  Illinois  and  removed  to  Xauvoo,  where  he  died.  Some  of  his 
children  remained  in  Stark  County,  where  their  descendants  still  live. 

JNIinott  Silliman,  the  first  treasurer  of  Stark  County,  entered  sev- 
eral tracts  of  land  in  Goshen  Townshij)  and  became  a  resident  of  that 
townshiiJ  in  1837.  Barnabas  M.  and  James  Jackson  and  Elijah 
Eltzroth  were  among  the  settlers  of  1838.  INIr.  Eltzroth  was  a  caliinet 
maker  by  trade  and  made  a  large  part  of  the  fui-niture  used  by  the 
first  families.  The  first  election  for  school  trustees  in  Goshen  Town- 
ship was  held  at  his  house  on  April  6,  1839,  when  Luther  Driscoll. 
Charles  H.  JMiner  and  Samuel  Parrish  were  elected.  Jeremiah  Ren- 
nett  was  likewise  a  settler  of  1838. 

Lafayette  is  the  only  town  or  village  in  the  township.  It  is  situ- 
ated near  the  Avestern  border,  on  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific 
Railroad,  which  runs  almost  due  east  and  west  through  the  central 
part  of  the  township.  A  history  of  the  village  will  be  found  in  the 
next  chapter.  Goshen  is  therefore  an  agricultural  community,  though 
considerable  attention  has  been  given  in  recent  years  to  fruit  raising, 
and  there  are  two  large  nurseries  near  Lafayette. 

The  nine  jniblic  school  buildings  in  the  township,  including  the 
one  in  Lafayette,  are  valued  at  $17,500  and  twelve  teachers  were 
employed  during  the  school  year  of  1914-15.  The  population  in  1910 
was  1.145  and  in  1914  the  assessed  value  of  the  property  was 
$1,063,077. 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  99 

OSCEOLA    TOWN  SHIP 

The  Townslii])  of  Osceola  oeci]])ies  the  novtlicastern  corner  of  the 
county,  including'  Congressional  township  14,  range  7.  It  is  bounded 
on  the  north  and  east  by  Bureau  County;  on  the  south  by  Penn  Town- 
ship, and  on  the  west  by  the  Township  of  Elmira.  The  East  Fork  of 
the  Spoon  River  flows  iliagonally  across  the  township  from  northeast 
to  southwest,  Silver  Creek  drains  the  northeastern  portion  and  across 
the  southern  part  Cooper's  Defeat  Creek  Hows  westwardly  initil  it 
empties  into  the  East  Fork  in  section  ."Jl.  ]More  than  80  per  cent  of 
the  2."{.()40  acres  of  land  lying  within  this  township  is  capable  of  being 
cultivated  and  yields  abundant  crops,  owing  to  the  great  fertility  of 
the  soil.  ^Vhen  the  first  white  men  came  to  this  part  of  the  county 
they  found  here  a  beautiful  ])rairie,  which  may  account  in  a  great 
measure  for  the  large  number  of  soldiers'  land  warrants  being  filed 
between  the  years  1817  and  1820.  In  those  years  lands  were  entered 
in  this  township  by  veterans  of  the  War  of  1812  as  follows: 

In  section  1,  Daniel  Prestman  and  John  Wingtield;  section  2, 
John  Cochran  and  Richard  INIarsliall;  section  3,  Levi  Spaulding  and 
John  Spencer;  section  4,  Isaac  Irvine  and  George  Rowland;  section 
5.  II.  J.  Balch  and  Jacol)  Seeders:  section  0,  John  S^^■isson:  section  7, 
Timothy  Carter  and  Daniel  ^Vhisker;  section  8.  ^Vlanson  Adams, 
Samuel  Adams,  John  Pilsbury  and  3Iargaret  Smith ;  section  9,  James 
C.  Angell,  Alexander  JNIcConkey,  John  T.  Swords  and  Stephen 
\\'hip])le:  section  10.  Charles  Aveiy,  Nathan  Brown,  Samuel  Shannon 
and  William  \Veavcr;  section  11,  Stejjhen  Bridges,  John  Gowen, 
Rensselaer  Lee  and  Shelton  Lockwood;  section  12,  Joseph  Cutler; 
section  1.3,  David  Flagg  and  Jonathan  Pike;  section  14,  William 
JJrower,  Andrew  Campbell,  Frederick  Devoe  and  Asahel  Stanley: 
section  1.3,  John  Barker,  Fj^hraim  l*ratt.  Timothv  Thompson  and 
Gerard  Tracy;  section  17,  John  Carroll,  John  Langfitt,  Jacob  Sticker 
and  James  Wiley;  section  18,  Amos  Bunnell  and  Asa  INIanning;  sec- 
tion 19,  William  Kurnin:  section  20,  James  Bush;  section  21.  Fli 
Brady  and  Andrew  (iroynne;  section  22,  William  Crowson.  William 
Graham  and  Jabez  Graves;  section  2.*J,  Samuel  Allen.  I'hilip  .Andrews, 
Isaac  McCarter  and  James  Taylor;  section  24,  Frederick  Ilomi.  Sam- 
uel Neal,  Elijah  Nickerson  and  George  Stall;  section  25,  Job  Haskell, 
Hudson  Knight  and  F.  K.  Robinson;  section  26,  John  Coon,  Josiah 
Brantley.  Orson  Menard  and  J.  C.  Parker:  section  27,  E.  F.  Nichols, 
Richard  Hardy.  \\'illiam  F.  Reed  and  Amos  Small;  section  28,  Wil- 
h'am  Eaton  and  George  Stanton;  section  31,  Zachary  Gray;  section 


100  HISTOKY  01<    hiWKK  COl^XTV 

32,  Grandeson  B.  Cooper;  section  33,  ^Vinship  Gordon  and  Lawrence 
Hoots;  section  Hi,  Saimiel  K.  Jenkins,  John  Lennon,  Samuel  ]Moul- 
tonand  Arthur  Slierrard;  section  3.>,  George  Anway,  Joseph  Kenion, 
George  Longniire  and  William  blading;  section  3G,  Jacob  31orton. 

The  eighty-seven  soldiers'  claims  of  160  acres  each  absorbed  13,920 
acres,  or  a  little  more  than  60  per  cent  of  the  entire  township.  When 
actual  settlers  began  to  come  in  there  were  several  disputes  and  law- 
suits over  title  to  the  lands,  which  retarded  to  some  extent  the  develop- 
ment of  the  township.  The  vexed  question  was  finally  settled,  how- 
ever, and  since  then  Osceola  has  grown  to  be  one  of  the  wealthiest, 
most  populous  and  prosperous  townships  of  Stark  County. 

When  the  first  settlers  came  to  the  townshij)  in  183.5  they  found  a 
beautiful  grove  in  the  northwestern  j^art,  extending  into  what  is  now 
Khiiira  Township,  and  it  was  here  that  they  located.  At  that  time 
the  Seminole  Indians  in  Florida  were  at  war  with  the  United  States 
under  the  leadersliij)  of  the  half-lireed  chief.  Osceola.  This  chief  was 
the  son  of  a  white  man  named  \Villis  Powell  and  a  Creek  squaw.  He 
Avas  born  in  Georgia,  but  while  he  was  still  in  his  youth  his  mother 
deserted  her  own  tribe  and  joined  the  Seminoles.  Some  of  the  early 
settlers,  admiring  the  skill  and  bravery  of  the  adopted  chief  in  resist- 
ing the  removal  of  the  Seminoles  from  their  favorite  hunting  grounds 
in  Florida,  named  the  grove  "Osceola  Grove,"  and  this  name  was 
afterward  conferred  upon  the  civil  township  established  in  18.53. 

The  first  land  entries  made  by  actual  settlers  were  in  the  grove 
above  mentioned  and  along  the  East  Fork  of  the  Spoon  Kiver. 
Nicholas  Sturm  and  Henry  Seely  located  claims  in  section  28  in  183.5. 
The  following  year  Robert  and  ^^'^illiam  Hall  entered  land  in  section 
6;  James  Buswell  in  section  7:  Isaac  Spencer,  section  18:  James 
Clark  and  Samuel  Love,  section  19:  Mathias  Sturm,  section  21,  and 
Joseph  Xewton,  section  28.  In  1837  Myrtle  G.  Brace  located  in  sec- 
tion 6,  John  Watts  in  section  19,  and  W.  H.  Boardman  in  section  31. 

Although  Osceola  is  an  agricultuial  comnumity,  considerable  coal 
mining  has  been  done  in  the  township.  As  early  as  1861  John  ]Mc- 
Ivaughlin  was  mining  coal  at  a  place  known  as  Foster's  coal  bank, 
about  two  and  a  half  miles  west  of  Bradford,  and  there  were  other 
mines  along  the  Spoon  River  and  about  Lombardville.  A  more  com- 
plete account  of  the  mining  interests  of  the  county  will  be  found  in  the 
chapter  on  Finance  and  Industry. 

The  Buda  &  Rushville  branch  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy 
railway  system  runs  through  the  eastern  part  of  the  township,  with 
stations  at  Bradford  and  Lombardville,  and  furnishes  transportation 
facilities  to  the  people  living  east  of  the  Spoon  River. 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  1<J1 

The  first  election  of  school  trustees  in  Osceola  Township  was  on 
Jimc  ;5.  1840,  when  Liberty  Stone,  1.  W.  Searl  and  Zebnlon  Avery 
were  elected.  Immediately  after  their  election  the  trustees  divided 
the  township  into  three  school  districts.  In  I'Jl.J  there  were  nine 
pnl)lic  school  huil(lin<-s,  valued  at  $1(),«0(),  and  during  the  preceding- 
school  year  sixteen  teachers  were  employed.  The  population  of  the 
townsliip  in  lUlO,  including  the  incorporated  Yilhige  of  Bradford, 
was  1,.")77.  and  in  11)14  tlie  pro])crty  was  valued  for  tax  ])urposes  at 
,*l,()'.tO,874. 

PENN    TOWXSHIl' 

This  is  the  middle  township  of  the  eastern  tier  and  embraces  Con- 
gressional townshi])  i;5  nortli.  range  7  east.  It  is  bounded  on  the 
north  by  Osceohi  Township;  on  the  east  by  Marshall  Covuity,  on  the 
south  by  Valley  Township,  and  on  the  west  by  the  Township  of  Tou- 
lon. The  surface  is  moderately  diversified  and  originally  a  large  part 
of  the  townshi])  was  ])rairie  land,  with  a  soil  above  the  average  in  fer- 
tility. Coal  deposits  underlie  the  township  and  in  a  few  places  have 
been  found  beds  of  a  good  quality  of  tire  clay,  but  they  have  not  been 
devehtped.  The  only  stream  of  any  consequence  is  a  tribntary  of 
Cooper's  Defeat  Creek  in  the  northeastern  portion.  Cajjfain  Ilaaeke, 
one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Peoria,  several  years  ago  told  the  story  of 
how  this  creek  received  its  name.     His  account  is  as  follows: 

•'The  winter  of  lH.'31-3-2  was  the  winter  of  the  deep  snow.  Tlie 
M-eather  before  Christmas  being  pleasant  a  party  of  four  men  was 
ecjuipped  by  a  trader  by  the  name  of  John  Hamlin,  then  of  Peoria, 
wh.o  was  buying  furs  for  the  American  Fur  Com])any.  Fitting  them 
out  with  an  ox  team  of  two  yoke  and  provisions  for  their  journey 
trom  I'eoria  to  the  Winnebago  swamjjs,  with  goods  to  trade  to  the 
Winnebam)  and  Pottawatomi  Indians,  thev  started  on  their  journev. 
Soon  snow  connnenced  to  fall,  the  air  grew  colder,  and  continued  to 
grow  more  so  as  they  went  along,  until  they  were  compelled  by  the 
fierce  cold  and  driving  snow  to  abandon  their  team.  In  fact  the  snow 
was  so  deep  that  the  cattle  got  swamped  and  they  were  left  to  their 
fate.  With  BoycTs  (irove  in  view,  the  men  started,  guided  by  a  large 
tree  and  a  light  at  the  grove.  A  man  named  Ridgeway  was  the  only 
one  of  the  party  who  succeeded  in  reaching  the  grove.  The  other 
tiuec.  two  ol'  whom  wvvv  AVilliam  and  Jerry  Cooper  (the  other  name 
forgotten),  perished  on  the  prairie  near  a  stream  southwest  of  lioyd's 
Grove.  The  bones  of  the  men  and  the  cattle  were  seen  in  the  spring- 
following,  also  the  sled,  as  the  soldiers  of  the  Black  Hawk  war  were 


102  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

marching,  all  mounted,  260  strong,  to  make  battle  with  the  Sac  and 
Fox  Indians.  The  stream  where  the  men  jierished  has  since  been 
known  as  'Cooper's  Defeat.'  " 

Township  1.'},  range  7,  seems  to  have  been  a  favorite  field  for  the 
veterans  of  the  War  of  1812,  as  nearly  one  hundred  land  warrants 
were  located  in  what  is  now  Penn  Township.  Following  is  a  list  of 
entries  made  betMeen  the  years  1817  and  1820: 

Section  1,  AVilliam  Y.  Knapp,  Elizabeth  I^eonard  (soldier's 
Avidow)  and  James  Rogers;  section  2,  Daniel  Robertson;  section  3, 
Francis  Cook  and  James  Scandling;  section  4,  John  and  William 
Owen;  section  ,5,  William  A.  JNIcLane  and  Samuel  Tyler;  section  (!, 
Benjamin  Howard;  section  7,  Peter  Kerns  and  Job  Price;  section  8, 
Charles  Brewster,  William  H.  Fann  and  John  Hoagden:  section 
9,  Samuel  Earl,  Samuel  Ellis,  William  Kelly  and  Levi  Pratt:  sec- 
tion 10,  George  Coates,  Ebenezer  Cobb,  William  Loomis  and  Stephen 
Xewburg:  section  11,  Richard  Carver,  William  Gordon.  Philip 
Plielps;  section  12,  George  Kindle,  Elijah  Loveless,  jMoses  Taylor 
and  Thomas  Tyler;  section  13,  Patrick  Freeman.  John  W.  Ingersoll 
and  ^Villiam  Trottenberger;  section  14.  Daniel  Bennett.  John  Connor, 
John  J.  Jewell  and  William  Sheets;  section  1.5.  John  Beals.  John 
Cook,  JNIathias  Boyd  ajid  Robert  INIcIntosh:  section  17,  Ira  Ilolman, 
Thomas  Johnson,  Henry  Parker  and  George  Suter:  section  18, 
Nathan  Convers  and  Aaron  ^Voodworth;  section  19,  Abiezer  Wash- 
burn and  Asa  Winslow;  section  20,  Richard  Bayard,  Jonathan  Drake, 
Shelby  Hobbs  and  Nathan  Shepherd:  section  21,  Alvin  Dillingham, 
Samuel  Lane.  Joseph  INIcFarlin  ;nid  James  Parks;  section  22,  Benja- 
min Brown,  Samuel  Lewis,  William  Stewart  and  Joseph  AVindell; 
section  23,  Moses  Heath.  Archibald  McCrary  and  Christian  Right; 
section  24,  Amos  C.  Babcock,  John  W.  Ingersoll,  Bernard  JMc^NIahon 
and  John  iMason;  section  25,  John  Norfleet  and  Jacob  Skinner;  sec- 
tion 26,  James  Giles,  Paul  Green.  Thomas  ^NIcCov  and  Joshua  Regis- 
ter;  section  27,  Timothy  Dixon.  Richard  Eml)ley,  Josc])h  ]Morse  and 
Warren  Sartwell;  section  28,  AVilliam  Briggs,  John  Adams.  Thomas 
Dennis  and  Richard  Edmunds;  section  29,  Giles  C.  Dana,  George 
Decker,  Joseph  Dockham  and  John  Nichols;  section  30.  Horace 
Clark  and  Harvey  Gaylord;  section  31.  Adonijah  Ball  and  Peter 
Ricker;  section  32.  John  Brandon.  Christo])her  Brockctt  and  Jacob 
Trishour;  section  33,  Peter  Brown,  Robert  Devine,  Jeremiah  Gillilan 
and  William  ]Matthews;  section  34,  Adam  Sufford,  Nathaniel  Yar- 
nuin,  Thomas  AValden  and   Horace  Witheville:  section  35,   jNIoses 


HISTORY  OF  STAKK  COUNTY  103 

Aldrich,  John  ]Messing  ami  Jtiiks  Waite;  section  'Mi,  Thomas  Lee 
and  Jolm  \V.  IngersoU. 

Thv  actnal  settlement  of  the  township  began  before  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  eonnty.  One  of  the  earliest  settlers  was  James  Ilolgate, 
who  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  Jnly  26,  1804..  and  when  sixteen 
years  of  age  went  to  Lnzerne  County,  in  his  native  state,  where  he 
learned  the  miller's  trade.  In  18.*}.'}  he  left  Pennsylvania  and  came  to 
Illinois,  locating  in  section  19,  in  what  is  now  Penn  Township.  lie 
held  tile  otHce  of  county  judge  for  eight  years;  was  justice  of  the  peace 
and  a  member  of  the  Legislature;  was  one  of  the  democratic  leaders 
in  Stark  County,  and  was  an  energetic  and  useful  citizen.  He  died 
about  188.J. 

Henry  Seely,  anoliier  pioneer  of  I'enn,  was  a  native  of  New  ^'ork 
State,  but  came  west  while  still  a  young  man  and  was  mari'ied  in 
Indiana.  Soon  after  his  marriage  he  came  to  Illinois  and  acquired 
:i-20  acres  of  land  in  what  is  now  Penn  Township.  His  place  was  long 
known  as  "Seely's  Point"  and  is  located  in  sections  27  and  28.  He 
Mas  elected  to  several  otRces  on  the  republican  ticket  and  was  an  active 
member  of  the  Methodist  Church.    His  death  occurred  in  JSIarch,  187(). 

Others  who  settled  or  entered  land  in  this  townshi])  in  the  '.'JOs 
were  Dexter  Wall,  Benjamin  and  Uavid  Newton.  John  T.  I'henix. 
Henry  lireese,  I^emuel  S.  Uorranee,  Sylvanus  ]Moore,  Klisha  C.  and 
Nehemiah  ]Merritt.  Then  came  the  Averys,  the  Bunnells,  the  Snares, 
the  Bococks  and  other  families,  many  of  whose  descendants  still  reside 
in  the  township. 

Prior  to  the  introduction  of  the  township  system  in  18.).'J  the  terri- 
tory comprising  Penn  Township  was  included  in  the  "Spoon  River 
Precinct."  After  the  people  of  Stark  County  had  voted  to  adopt  the 
township  organization,  Henry  Breese  was  appointed  one  of  the  com- 
im'ssioners  to  divide  the  county  into  civil  townshi{)s.  He  was  from 
Pennsylvania,  as  were  a  number  of  his  neighbors,  and  suggested  the 
name  of  "Pennsylvania"  for  his  township,  but  the  other  two  commis- 
sioners thought  the  name  too  long,  so  it  was  shortened  to  "Penn." 

Castleton,  a  little  northwest  of  the  center  of  the  townshi]).  is  the 
only  town.  It  is  located  on  the  line  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  & 
Quincy  Railroad,  which  runs  from  northeast  to  southwest  thi'ough  the 
township. 

Perm  reported  a  population  of  931  in  1910,  Avhich  was  a  slight 
decrease  from  the  census  of  ten  years  before.  In  1914  the  pro])erty 
was  valued  for  taxation  at  $88.5. .501.  The  nine  schoolhonses  are 
valued  at  $9,3,50,  and  ten  teachers  are  emploj-ed  in  the  public  schools. 


104  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

TOULON    TOWNSHIP 

Of  the  eight  townshi]).s  coniprisino-  Stark  County.  Toulon  is  the 
most  centrally  located.  It  includes  Congressional  Township  13  north, 
range  6  east.  Elniira  Township  bounds  it  on  the  north;  Penn  on  the 
east;  Essex  on  the  south,  and  Goshen  on  the  west.  Spoon  River  tiows 
soutliwardly  across  the  eastern  portion  and  the  southwest  corner  is 
watered  by  Indian  Creek.  Along  the  streams  the  surface  is  somewhat 
broken,  but  the  greater  part  of  the  township  consists  of  rolling  land 
\\  ith  a  fertile  soil,  well  adapted  to  agricultural  purposes.  Some  coal 
has  been  mined  in  the  township.  AVhen  Stark  County  was  first  organ- 
ized in  1839  the  eastern  half  of  this  township  was  in  the  Wyoming 
Precinct  and  the  western  half  in  the  Central  Precinct.  Fourteen 
years  later  the  township  system  was  adopted  and  the  name  of  "Tou- 
lon" was  given  to  the  township,  from  the  county  seat,  which  is  located 
near  its  western  border. 

More  than  one  hundred  military  land  warrants  were  located  in 
Toulon  Township  between  the  years  1817  and  1820.  Jonathan  ]Mat- 
thews  and  Samuel  P.  Tufts  selected  claims  in  section  1;  ]Michael  Cun- 
ningham and  Xathan  Chadwick,  section  2:  William  Dunlap  and 
Charles  Gist,  section  3:  Erastus  Backus  and  Joseph  Banks,  section  4; 
Solomon  Plutchinson  and  Jesse  Seeley,  section  ,5;  Jacob  Rheam,  sec- 
tion 6;  David  Park,  Hiram  Stevens  and  William  Wiley,  section  7: 
Elijah  Coates,  Ira  Ellmore  and  Sanniel  McCahan.  section  8:  Daniel 
Dudley,  Amos  J.  Eagleson,  Silas  McCuUough  and  Robert  3Iorton, 
-section  9 ;  Hester  Faust,  Bela  Hall,  Joseph  Porter  and  Ira  Reming- 
ton, section  10;  Isaac  Dyer,  Benjamin  Pratt.  James  Thomas  and 
Benjamin  H.  Tozer,  section  11:  Luke  Blackshire.  Abram  Bowman 
and  Samuel  Grimes,  section  12;  David  Fulwell,  Jesse  Ormsby,  George 
^\'.  Russell  and  Isaac  Patch,  section  13:  John  Dawson,  John  Pike, 
Robert  D.  Thompson  and  David  R.  Whiteley,  section  14;  Samuel 
Null,  Abram  Rader,  Thomas  Thompson  and  John  R.  Turner,  section 
15;  James  Bulley,  William  Davidson.  Yalentine  ^Matthews  and  John 
Yearns,  section  17;  John  Wallace  and  William  Young,  section  18; 
William  Bennett  and  (iideon  W.  3Ioody.  section  19:  Lydia  Barrett. 
Edward  D.  Strickland.  Robert  Vallally  and  William  Yanderman. 
section  20;  Jeptha  Cloud.  Robert  Fry.  Moses  McClay  and  Roliert 
Miner,  section  21;  Xicholas  Cook,  Allen  B.  Strong  and  John  Wells, 
section  22:  Reuben  Boles.  Richard  Hill  and  W.  B.  McKennan,  sec- 
tion 23;  Abel  H.  Coleman,  Silas  ^I.  ]Moore  and  Isaac  Parcelles,  sec- 
tion 24;  Joseph  Joy,  William  Karns,  John  Thompson  and  Asaph 


Ki;sl|)KM  K  i)\-   A.  .1.  ADAMS.   WYOMING 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLIMOIS 
URBANA 


HISTORV  OF  STARK  COUNTY  105 

AVethcrill,  section  25 ;  George  Metzinger,  Tlionias  Rogers  and  Joseph 
AVildey.  section  '26;  Timothy  Cook,  Joseph  S.  Ciorniaii.  Joh  Park- 
lieatl  and  Polly  Tucker,  section  27;  Ebene'/.er  Gilkey,  Samuel  CTritlitli, 
Jacob  Slantler  and  Phineas  Spilman,  section  28;  Asa  Hill,  W^illiam 
Hyde,  Henry  Rol)erts  and  James  Trumbull,  section  29;  Philip  Law- 
less and  Adam  ^IcCaslin,  section  ."30;  Sijuire  \Villiams  and  Peter 
Wolf,  section  31;  James  Baldwin,  David  llambleton.  Isaac  lliggins 
and  Thomas  \Vandell,  section  32;  Henry  Bailey,  James  Chancey, 
Josejjh  Cram  and  Joim  Cross,  section  33;  Jeremiah  Davis,  Richard 
Nixon.  William  Oaks  and  John  Short,  section  34;  John  Bussell,  Luke 
G.  Hasley.  Benjamin  Hughes  and  Henry  ^Murphy,  section  3.5;  John 
Lynes,  John  Ilageman,  Patrick  Sliort  and  Thomas  W.  Way, 
.section  36. 

The  first  lands  entered  for  actual  settlement  were  the  southwest 
([uarter  of  section  30  and  the  nortlnvest  quarter  of  section  31,  which 
were  entered  on  June  24,  1839,  the  former  by  Adam  Perry  and  the 
latter  l)y  William  H.  Henderson.  On  September  G,  1839,  John  ^Miller 
entered  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  19,  where  the  City  of  Toulon 
now  stands,  and  on  the  28th  of  the  same  month  .Tohn  Culbertson  en- 
tered the  quarter  section  directly  north  of  ^Miller's.  Lewis  Perry, 
Chauncey  D.  Fuller  and  William  Mahaney  also  entered  lands  in  the 
township  in  the  fall  of  1839. 

Col.  ^Villiam  H.  Henderson,  one  of  the  early  settlers  in  Toulon 
Township  and  a  man  who  i)layed  an  important  part  in  the  early  his- 
tory of  Stark  County,  was  born  in  Garrard  County,  Ky.,  Novem- 
ber 16,  1793.  At  the  beginning  of  the  War  of  1812  he  enlisted  in 
the  Kentucky  ^Mounted  Riflemen,  commanded  by  Col.  Richard  ^L 
Johnson,  and  with  his  regiment  was  at  the  battle  of  the  Thames, 
October  .5,  1813.  T^pon  retiring  from  the  army  he  located  in  Stewart 
County,  Tenn.,  where  he  was  married  on  ;Tanuary  11,  1816,  to 
Miss  Lucinda  W^imberly.  He  served  as  sheriff  of  Stewart  County 
and  afterward  removed  to  Haywood  County,  in  the  western  ])art  of 
tile  state.  In  1831  he  visited  Illinois  and  selected  lands  in  what  is  now 
La  .Salle  County,  about  fifteen  miles  north  of  the  present  City  of 
Ottawa.  In  the  spring  of  1832  his  father  and  mother,  two  of  his 
brothers  and  a  man  named  Robert  Norris,  with  two  of  his  wife's 
brothers,  set  out  for  the  new  possessions.  Just  then  the  Black  Hawk 
war  came  on.  Robert  Norris  was  killed  ])y  the  Indians  and  the  other 
members  of  the  family  were  comi)elled  to  vacate  their  claims.  Colonel 
Henderson  therefore  remained  in  Tennessee  and  in  183.5  was  elected 
to  represent  his  district  in  the  State  Senate.     He  resigned  his  seat. 


106  HISTOKY  OF  STAllK  COUNTY 

however,  before  the  exijiration  of  his  term,  and  on  July  2,  1836,  landed 
in  Stark  County.  Plis  work  in  securing  the  organization  of  the  county 
is  told  in  another  chapter;  the  first  session  of  tlie  Circuit  Court  of 
Stark  County  was  held  at  his  house;  he  was  a  member  of  the  last 
Legislature  that  met  at  ^^andalia  and  the  first  that  met  at  Springfield, 
and  was  otherwise  active  in  public  affairs.  In  184o  he  removed  to 
Iowa  and  died  in  that  state  on  January  27,  186-1.  His  son,  Thomas  J. 
Henderson,  was  colonel  of  the  One  Himdred  and  Twelfth  Illinois 
Infantry  in  the  Civil  war. 

In  1841  the  county  seat  was  located  at  Toulon  and  much  of  the 
history  of  Toulon  Township  is  intimately  associated  with  the  county 
seat.  It  is  therefore  told  in  connection  with  the  history  of  the  City  of 
Toulon  in  another  chajiter.  The  Peoria  &  Rock  Island  (now  the 
Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific)  Railroad  was  built  through  the 
township  in  1871. 

According  to  the  Ljiited  States  census  for  1910  the  population  in 
that  year  was  2, .379,  which  included  parts  of  the  cities  of  Toulon  and 
Wyoming.  There  are  nine  school  districts  in  tlie  township,  outside 
of  the  City  of  Toulon,  in  which  ten  teachers  were  employed  during 
the  school  year  of  1914-1.5.  and  in  1914  the  taxable  value  of  the  prop- 
erty, including  railroad  property,  was  $1,401,244. 

VALLEY    TO  ^y  N  S  H I P 

Valley  Township  occui)ies  the  southeast  corner  of  the  county  and 
embraces  Congressional  Township  12  north,  range  7  east.  It  is 
bounded  on  the  north  bj'  Penn  Township;  on  the  east  by  ^Marshall 
County:  on  the  south  by  Peoria  County,  and  on  the  west  by  the  Town- 
ship of  Essex.  Previous  to  the  introduction  of  the  township  system 
in  18.53,  this  part  of  the  county  formed  a  part  of  the  ^Vyoming 
Precinct.  AVhen  the  county  was  divided  into  townships  the  name 
"Valley"  was  conferred  ujion  this  political  subdivision  for  the  i-eason 
that  it  occupies  the  broad,  fertile  valley  at  the  foot  of  the  highest  divide 
in  the  state.  Camping  Run  flows  in  a  westerly  direction  through  the 
northern  part  and  ]Mud  Run  through  the  southern  part.  With  a 
generally  level  or  slightly  rolling  surface  and  a  productive  soil,  some 
of  the  finest  farms  in  the  county  are  in  Valley  Township. 

With  the  exception  of  section  16 — the  public  school  section — and 
a  few  isolated  tracts  here  and  tliere.  practically  the  entire  township 
was  claimed  by  veterans  of  the  War  of  1812  under  the  ^lilitary  Bounty 
Act.  Following  is  a  list  of  soldiers'  land  Avarrants  located  between 
the  years  1817  and  1820: 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  107 

Section  1,  Charles  Gibhard  and  Linus  Gilbert;  section  2,  Justus 
Cobb  and  Thomas  Edwards;  section  3,  Joseph  JMcCord  and  Jtjhn 
Thornburg;  section  4,  John  ^'inchane  and  Charles  Youn<>':  section  .J, 
Welcome  Rutterworth  (320  acres)  ;  section  (i,  Jolm  Sargent  and 
James  Sawyer;  section  7.  Isaac  Paulding  and  Samuel  P.  Stegner; 
section  8,  Isaac  Cliihis,  John  Erskine.  Hugh  IJobh  and  Xeheniiah 
Wood;  section  D.  Richard  Ilorton.  \Viniani  Ilerrald,  William  W. 
Sickles  and  Nicholas  Xau  Stcyke;  section  10,  Renjamin  Fall,  Caleb 
Johnson,  Leverett  Richardson  and  John  Vanderbeck;  section  11,  John 
Green,  David  Page  and  Edward  Wyman;  section  12,  William  Heath, 
Thomas  PI.  Parker  and  John  Pritchard;  section  13,  Robert  Rrown, 
]*hilip  Clarke,  Robert  Cockk's  and  Thom])son  White;  section  li, 
Zerah  Call,  John  Coffey,  01i])hant  Coleman  and  Charles  Kitchen; 
section  1.5,  Eodowick  Rlackley,  James  Rriggs  and  Jolm  ONeil;  sec- 
tion 17,  George  Armstrong,  John  Concannon,  Hampton  Owens  and 
John  Thom])son;  section  18.  Isaac  Ackerman,  James  Reardwine, 
Pleasant  ]Meredith  and  Peter  Rotis;  section  19,  John  Ringham,  Nor- 
man Collins  and  Renjamin  R.  JNIeredith;  section  20,  Daniel  Rurns, 
"William  Dillon,  Philip  Kinston  and  Nathaniel  White;  section  21, 
John  Rooth,  Cierard  (iibson,  Jolm  Ij.  Griswold  and  William  "Walker; 
section  22,  David  Durand  and  Charles  Tabor;  section  23,  John  An- 
drews, Isaac  Garrett  and  Nathan  Hall;  section  24,  Charles  Curran, 
William  T.  Graves,  William  McGlynn  and  Owen  Riley;  section  25, 
Sanuiel  Adams,  Thomas  Carty,  James  Sproul  and  Joseph  Yates; 
section  2G,  Frederick  Cook.  Frank  liowder.  John  ^NlcCormack  and 
Renjamin  Tarr;  section  27,  Ichabod  Colby,  Thomas  Harris  and  Con- 
rad ^Mandell;  section  28,  Clement  C.  INIinor;  section  29,  David  Guth- 
rie, David  Rringman,  Francis  Dudley  and  ]Moses  Hamphill;  section 
30.  John  .Ai'chibald,  Renjamin  S.  Snyder  and  Alexander  \Yaistcoat; 
section  31,  John  Ayler,  Henry  Emery,  INIichael  Gebhart  and  Daniel 
Palmer;  section 32,  Silas  Reverstock,  Sanniel  Chatterton.  Calvin  Iloyt 
and  John  Lackey;  section  33,  William  Hearn,  ^Villiam  JNIartland, 
Aaron  Turner  and  Horton  Wood;  section  34,  Peter  Holloway,  Isaac 
Snn'th,  William  Tajjp  and  Daniel  Woolford;  section  3.3.  Putnam 
Conouss,  Aha/,  Cook  and  James  II.  Rowland ;  section  30,  Luke  Rar- 
ton,  iMoses  Davis  and  Zeba  Parmeley. 

As  in  the  other  townships  of  the  county,  these  military  titles  sub- 
sequently caused  numerous  misunderstandings  and  retarded  settle- 
ment to  some  extent.  Among  those  who  entered  lands  along  in  the 
'30s  for  actual  occupation  were  Edwin  and  Titus  Hutchinson,  Wil- 
liam C.  Cunnnings,  Joseph  Sulliman,  Charles  Pope  and  a  few  othei-s. 
The  scliool  section  was  not  disposed  of  until  18.51. 


los  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

On  July  17,  1847,  the  first  scliool  trustees — David  Rouse,  Z.  G. 
Bliss  and  William  C.  Cunmiings — were  chosen  at  an  election  held  at 
the  house  of  David  Rouse,  and  the  township  was  soon  afterward 
organized  for  school  purposes.  There  were  then  hut  nine  families, 
with  forty-one  children,  and  only  two  districts  were  established.  Since 
then  the  two  original  districts  have  been  subdivided  until  in  1915 
there  were  eight.  The  eight  schoolhouses  in  the  township  were  then 
valued  at  $8,(j.50  and  during  the  school  year  of  191-4-15  ten  teachers 
were  employed. 

Valley  is  fairly  well  provided  with  transportation  facilities,  the 
Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad  passing  through  the  western 
part  and  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  through  the  southeastern  por- 
tion. Stark  on  the  former  and  S])eer  on  the  latter  are  the  only  rail- 
road stations.  In  1910  the  population  was  821.  an  increase  of  33 
during  the  preceding  decade,  and  in  1914  the  assessed  value  of  the 
proj^erty,  including  railroads,  was  $806, 836. 

WEST    JEESEY    TOWNSHIP 

This  township  is  situated  in  the  southwest  corner  of  the  county  and 
includes  Congressional  Township  12  north,  range  5  east.  The  surface 
is  gently  undidating  and  the  only  stream  of  conseciuence  is  Walnut 
Creek,  which  flows  in  a  southerly  direction  through  the  western  half. 
Some  coal  and  fire  clay  deposits  have  been  found  in  the  township. 
With  the  exception  of  a  small  tract  of  sandy  land  called  the  "Bar- 
rens," the  entire  townshiiJ  is  well  adapted  to  agriculture  and  produces 
fine  crops  of  corn,  wheat,  oats  and  other  farm  products  suited  to  this 
section  of  the  state.  Fruit  growing  has  received  considerable  atten- 
tion in  recent  years  and  West  Jersey  boasts  some  of  the  best  orchards 
in  the  county. 

For  some  reason  the  Walnut  Creek  ^^alley  was  not  looked  upon 
with  favor  by  the  veterans  of  the  War  of  1812  and  comparatively  few 
military  "floats"  were  located  in  this  section.  Solomon  INIarshall  en- 
tered by  military  land  warrant  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  1 ; 
Daniel  Trash,  section  4;  Hezekiah  Adcock,  section  17:  Charles  Davis, 
section  20;  Benjamin  Sherman,  section  21;  Nicholas  Walsh,  section 
22;  George  Dearborn,  section  2.5;  Sheldon  Clark,  section  28;  Charles 
Higgins,  section  29;  Charles  Hoover,  in  the  same  section;  Elijah 
Smith  and  Ebenezer  Nichols,  section  32;  John  Scott  and  Peleg  Tup- 
per.  section  33;  Robert  C.  Jackson  and  Edward  Stewart,  section  34; 
Cromwell  Bullock,  Cato  Bunnell  and  Henry  S.  Hunt,  section  33; 
Da\  id  Bowen  and  John  Phillips,  section  36. 


IIISTOHY  OF  STAKK  COUNTY  109 

Tlie  first  actual  settler  in  tlic  township  was  Jacob  B.  Smith,  who 
came  from  Fulton  County.  111.,  in  February,  IB.'U?,  entered  the 
southeast  (quarter  of  section  ;5.),  built  his  lot)-  c-abiiiTuul  began  the  work 
of  I)uil(lins4'  uj)  a  home  in  the  wilderness.  George  Kckley  came  soon 
afterward  with  his  wife  and  five  children  from  Seneca  County,  Ohio, 
and  located  in  section  2.).  Before  the  close  of  the  year  18;j()  rhilip 
Keller.  Michael  Jones,  Washing-ton  and  Stei)hen  Trickle,  Fphraim 
Jiarnttt.  John  Brown  and  a  few  others  settled  in  various  ])arts  of  the 
townshij).  The  year  18.'i7  witnessed  the  arrival  of  \N'illiam  W .  Web- 
ster, Nehemiah  WykofF,  Newton  JNIatthews.  John  Pratz  and  some 
others.  Josej)!)  Palmer  came  almut  this  time  and  on  .July  4.  1838,  a 
"celebration"  was  held  at  his  house,  near  Walnut  Creek.  Forty-six 
])ers()ns  took  dinner  with  Mr.  Palmer.  Caleb  North  delivered  the  ora- 
tion, and'the  affair  wound  up  with  a  dance,  William  Mason  furnishing 
the  nuisic.  George  A.  Clifford  says  Mr.  JNIason  li\  ed  near  the  present 
City  of  Toulon  and  that  he  received  nine  dollars  on  this  occasion,  "the 
fii-sf  money  he  ever  took  in  for  music." 

Jose])!]  I'almer,  at  whose  house  this  celebration  was  given,  was  a 
native  of  Brattleboro.  A"t..  where  he  was  born  in  1802.  When  about 
twenty-five  years  of  age  he  decided  to  "Go  West  and  grow  u])  with 
the  country,"  and  located  in  iVshland  County.  Ohio,  where  he  mar- 
ried a  ]Miss  ^Nlary  Slocum.  In  ]8;}7  he  came  to  Stark  County  and 
purchased  320  acres  of  land  in  what  is  now  AVest  Jersey  Townshi]). 
In  1844  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  old  board  of  county  commis- 
sioners and  served  one  term.  After  the  Civil  war  he  removed  to  Gales- 
burg.  111.,  where  he  ])asscd  the  remaining  years  of  his  life. 

Jacob  B.  Smith,  the  original  jjioneer  of  \Vest  Jersey,  was  born 
near  Beading,  Pa.,  in  1801.  He  afterward  went  to  Ashland  County, 
Ohio,  where  he  married  Mrs.  ^laria  JMurphy,  nee  Trickle,  and  in  IS.'}.) 
came  to  Stark  County  as  above  stated.  His  first  dwelling  here  was  a 
log  cabin  sixteen  feet  square.  After  a  residence  of  several  years  in 
Stark  County,  he  removed  to  Galva,  111.,  and  died  there  in  Septem- 
ber.  1884. 

WHien  Stark  County  was  organized  in  1839  the  territory  now  coni- 
prisitig  the  Townshij)  of  West  Jersey  was  included  in  justice's  district 
No.  3,  which  afterward  became  known  as  ^Massillon  Precinct.  Be-, 
tween  183(5  and  18.50  several  families  from  New  Jersey  settled  in  this 
part  of  the  county.  Among  them  wei'e  the  Bodines,  Boyds.  Ha/.cns, 
A\'ileys.  Voungs  and  some  others.  W^hen  the  townshi])  .system  was 
introduced  in  18.)3  these  people  re()uested  that  their  township  be  called 
West  Jersey,  which  request  was  granted  and  in  that  way  the  town- 


no  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

ship  was  named.  Some  say  the  township  was  named  after  the  village 
of  West  Jersey,  hnt  that  is  a  mistake,  as  the  village  was  not  platted 
until  three  years  after  the  townships  of  the  county  were  oi-ganized  and 
named. 

Washington  Smith,  a  son  of  Jaeoh  Smith,  was  the  first  white  child 
hoiii  in  the  toAvnship.  The  first  frame  house  was  built  by  Washington 
Trickle  in  1838.  The  first  school  was  taught  by  ]Miss  Columbia  A. 
Dunn,  a  sister  of  Rev.  R.  C.  Dunn,  and  the  first  schoolhouse  was  built 
in  1837  or  1838.  In  191.5  there  were  eight  public  schoolhouses  in  the 
township,  valued  at  $8,200,  and  one  teacher  was  employed  in  each 
district  during  the  preceding  school  year. 

West  Jersey  is  one  of  the  two  townships  of  Stark  County  without 
a  railroad.  The  people  living  in  the  northern  half  of  the  township  find 
railroad  accommodations  at  Toulon  or  Lafayette,  and  those  living  in 
the  southern  part  are  within  reach  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa 
Fe  Railroad,  which  runs  through  the  northern  part  of  Peoria  County. 

In  1910  the  population  of  West  Jersey  Township  was  818  and  in 
1914  the  property  was  assessed  for  taxation  at  $73.5,8.51. 


CHAPTER  VIII 
CITIES.  TOWNS  AND  VILLAGES 

SPECULATIOX  IX  EAUIA'  DAYS — NUMEROUS  TOWNS  PROJECTED LIST  OF 

TOWNS   AND    VILLAGES   IN   STARK   COUNTY CITIES   OF   TOULON   AND 

WYOMING — INCORPORATED  VILLAGES  OF  BRADFORD  AND  LAFAY'ETTE 

MINOR    VILLAGES HISTORICAL    SKETCH    OF   EACH PRESENT   DAY' 

CONDITIONS POSTOFFICES  AND  RURAL  MAIL  ROUTES. 

In  the  early  settlement  of  the  West  there  seems  to  luive  been  a  sort 
of  mania  for  layin<>-  off  towns.  Companies  were  organized  for  the 
purpose  of  preempting-  the  most  available  sites,  employing  surveyors 
to  make  plats,  copies  of  which  were  sent  to  cities  in  the  East  to  adver- 
tise the  advantages  of  the  coming  metropolis  of  this  or  that  locality. 
In  some  of  the  counties  there  were  more  towns  two  or  three  years  after 
tlie  first  settlements  were  made  than  there  are  today,  if  a  paper  ])lat 
constituted  a  town,  and  nearly  every  man  or  company  that  had  a 
town-site  had  a  map  made  to  show  that  particular  town  as  being  the 
best  situated  for  the  county  seat. 

Scarcely  had  the  first  settlements  been  made  in  what  is  now  Stark 
County  until  the  speculator  and  promoter  were  in  the  field  laying  oft' 
towns.  Some  of  tlie  towns  thus  projected  have  sur\'ived  and  grown 
into  commercial  centers  of  consideral)le  importance ;  others  are  merely 
small  railroad  stations,  neighborhood  trading  jjoints.  or  postotfices  for 
a  rural  community:  and  still  others  have  passed  out  of  existence. 
From  a  careful  examination  of  the  official  plat  l)ooks,  old  atlases  and 
newspaper  files,  the  following  list  of  towns  that  are  or  have  been  in 
Stark  County  has  been  compiled:  Bradford,  Camp  Grove,  Castleton, 
Duncan.  Elmira,  Lafayette,  Lombardville.  Massillon,  INIodena, 
IVIorse,  ^loulton,  Osceola.  Pleasant  (rreen,  Puckerbrush,  Slackwater, 
Speer,  Stark,  Starwano,  Stringtown,  Toidon,  Wady  Petra,  \Valden, 
West  Jersey  and  Wyoming.  A  few  of  these  places,  such  as  Pucker- 
brush  and  Stringtown,  were  never  officially  platted,  but,  like  Topsy  in 
Uncle  Tom's  Cabin,  they  "jest  growed." 

Ill 


112  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

\Vliile  the  above  list  is  arranged  alphabetically,  in  giving  their 
history,  the  to^viis  will  be  considered  in  the  order  of  their  importance, 
beginnhig  with 

TOULOX 

Section  9  of  the  act  of  March  2,  1839,  under  which  Stark  County 
Avas  organized,  provided  that  the  county  seat  should  be  called  "Tou- 
lon," and  in  Chapter  XI  will  be  found  an  account  of  the  manner  in 
which  the  location  was  selected.  At  the  time  the  site  was  chosen  for 
the  seat  of  justice  in  184.1,  the  only  house  upon  the  original  plat  of  the 
toAvn  was  a  small  cabin.  Avhich  was  occupied  l)y  John  Miller  and  his 
family.  This  cabin  had  been  erected  by  :Minott  Silliman  in  the  spring 
of  18;3.5  and  sold,  with  the  land,  to  John  :Miller,  the  place  afterward 
becoming  known  as  "Miller's  Point."  Leeson's  History  of  Stark 
County  says:  'Tn  1832  Harris  W.  Miner  erected  a  cabin  not  far 
from  the  Toulon  depot:  and  it  is  further  claimed  for  him  and  tliis 
section  that  here  the  beginnings  of  cultivation  of  lands  in  this  town- 
ship were  made,  although  ^Nlinott  Silliman,  who  came  later,  does  not 
state  positively  that  any  evidences  of  such  improAcment  were  observed 
by  him." 

On  July  28.  1841,  John  ^Miller  and  his  wife  executed  a  deed,  con- 
veying to  the  conunissioners  of  Stark  County  the  tract  selected  for 
a  county  seat.  The  "ninety  rods  square"  included  in  the  deed  was 
laid  off""  into  lots  by  Carson  Berfield  in  August.  1841.  The  original 
plat  shows  sixteen  blocks  of  ten  lots  each,  with  3Iiller,  Franklin, 
Washington  and  Henderson  streets  running  north  and  south,  and 
Yine,  ]Main  and  Jeff'erson  streets  running  east  and  west.  Between 
the  north  and  south  streets  were  three  alleys,  each  twenty  feet  in 
width,  named  Plum,  Cherry  and  Grape.  Since  that  plat  was  filed  in 
the  office  of  the  county  recorder  several  additions  have  been  made  to 
the  town,  tlie  most  important  of  which  is  Henderson  &  Whitaker's 
addition,  which  consists  of  thirty  blocks.  Then  there  are  Culbert- 
son's  Eastern  and  Western  additions,  the  Assessor's  addition  and 
Turner's  addition.  Tliese  additions  have  increased  the  area  of  the 
town  more  than  three  times  that  shown  by  the  original  plat. 

The  first  sale  of  lots  in  Toulon  was  held  on  September  14-1.').  1841. 
Bidders  were  plentiful  and  122  lots  were  sold.  The  highest  price 
paid  for  any  one  lot  was  $80,  which  was  paid  for  lot  10  in  block  (J.  and 
the  lowest  price  was  $.5,  for  lot  2.  ])lock  9,  and  lot  1,  block  1.  Among 
the  ])ui-ehasers  Avere  Oliver  Whitaker,  John  W.  Henderson,  Jonathan 
Hodgson,  Benjamin  Turner.  Cyril  Ward,  JNIinott  Silliman.  David 


r^'-^w-^iv* 


IM   r.l.Ii     SI  III  ml..  Till  I.I  IX 


ITl'.I.K     l.lliKAHV.  TOl'LON 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOi 
URBANA 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  113 

Essex,  Nero  W.  Mounts,  John  JNIiller,  Henry  Breese,  Calvin  Powell, 
Harris  JMiner  and  several  others  whose  names  figure  prominently  in 
early  Starlv  County  history.  In  October  following  the  sale  Benjamin 
Turner  built  the  tirst  "real  house"  in  the  town.  A  postoffice  was 
established  a  little  later  and  ]Mr.  Turner  was  appointed  the  first 
postmaster. 

John  Culbertson,  who  located  just  outside  the  town  ])lat  in  184.1 
and  brouglit  a  stock  of  goods,  was  jjrobably  the  first  merchant.  He 
commanded  a  large  trade  in  and  around  Toulon,  built  a  flour  mill  and 
established  a  woolen  factory,  and  was  otherwise  active  in  building  up 
the  new  county  seat.  His  investments  in  real  estate  were  extensive 
and  a  neighlior  once  remarked:  "Uncle  John  will  not  be  satisfied 
until  he  owns  all  of  this  township  and  the  one  west  of  it."  Another 
jjioneer  of  18-il  was  Dr.  Thomas  Hall,  who  was  the  first  resident 
physician. 

The  first  hotel  was  kept  by  Benjamin  Turner,  who  also  ke[)t  a 
small  stock  of  goods  in  one  of  the  front  rooms.  The  building  in  which 
his  hotel  was  kept  was  afterward  removed  to  the  northwest  corner  of 
the  public  square,  where  it  was  occupied  by  various  persons  as  a  mer- 
cantile establishment  for  a  number  of  years.  Other  early  hotel  keepers 
were  B.  A.  Hall  and  AVilliam  Rose.  Alexander  ^Vliel  kei)t  a  tavern 
on  the  north  side  of  ]Main  Street,  between  Franklin  and  Miller,  where 
the  Virginia  House  was  built  by  J.  A.  Cooley  in  1849. 

The  first  school  in  Toulon  was  taught  bj^  JNIiss  Elizabeth  Buswell, 
in  an  upper  room  of  the  courthouse,  in  1843.  It  was  known  as  a 
common  school,  while  JNIiss  Susan  (rill,  daughter  of  Elder  Elisha  Gill, 
taught  a  "select"  school  in  an  adjoining  room.  The  first  schoolhouse, 
still  referred  to  by  old  i-esidents  as  the  "old  brick,"  was  built  on 
Jefferson  Street,  in  the  Avestern  part  of  town.  It  was  but  one  story  ' 
high  and  was  built  by  Ira  "Ward,  Jr.,  at  a  cost  of  $000.  T.  J.  Hen- 
derson taught  the  first  school  in  the  building  after  it  was  finished. 
The  brick  for  the  structvn'e  was  burned  especially  for  it  by  W.  B. 
Sweet,  and  the  lumber  was  hauled  from  the  Illinois  River.  That  was 
the  beginning  of  Toulon's  ])ul)lic  school  system,  which  has  developed 
into  two  magnificent  modern  buildings,  in  which  seventeen  teachers 
are  em])loycd. 

A  Methodist  class  was  organized  just  south  of  the  town  in  1841. 
Avith  Caleb  B.  Flint  as  class  leader.  This  was  the  beginning  of  the 
Toulon  ^Methodist  Chiu'ch,  the  first  religious  organization  in  tlic  town. 
A  more  com])lete  account  of  the  churclies  of  Toulon  will  be  found  in 
Chapter  XV. 


114  IIISTOKY   OF  STAKK  COUNTY 

III  October,  18.57,  a  movement  was  instituted  for  the  incorpora- 
tion of  Toulon.  At  a  meeting  of  the  citizens,  held  at  the  clerk's  ottice 
early  in  ^larch,  18.58,  thirty-four  votes  were  cast  in  favor  of  the 
proiJosition  and  only  two  were  opposed.  E.  L.  Emery,  Oliver  Whit- 
aker,  INliles  A.  Fuller,  William  Lowman  and  Isaac  C.  Reed  were 
elected  as  the  first  board  of  trustees.  No  record  can  be  found  con- 
cerning this  lirst  corporate  government  of  the  town,  but  on  February 
11,1 859,  the  Legislature  passed  an  act  defining  the  powers  and  duties 
of  the  trustees  of  Toulon. 

A  reorganization  of  the  town  government  took  place  in  the  spring 
of  1868.  At  an  election  held  on  the  first  jMonday  of  April  in  that 
year,  Caleb  M.  S.  Lyons,  Davis  Lowman,  Amos  P.  Gill,  Hugh  Y. 
Godfrey  and  David  Tinlin  were  chosen  trustees.  In  the  organization 
of  the  new  board,  Mr.  Lyons  was  elected  president ;  JNIr.  Tinlin,  clerk : 
JMr.  Gill,  treasurer,  and  Miles  A.  Fuller  was  appointed  attorney.  On 
A])ril  17,  1868,  fourteen  ordinances  were  passed  and  ordered  printed 
in  the  Stark  County  News.  The  first  related  to  public  morality,  health 
and  iJolice  regulations;  the  second  prohibited  gaming  houses;  the  third 
fixed  a  2)cnalty  for  interfering  with  the  town  officers  in  the  discharge 
of  their  duties;  the  fourth  ])rovided  for  the  punishment  of  persons 
disturbing  the  peace;  the  fifth  prohibited  certain  animals  from  running 
at  large;  the  sixth  related  to  streets  and  alleys  and  prohibited  fast 
driving  within  the  corporate  limits;  the  seventh  altered  certain  streets 
and  alleys;  the  eighth  and  ninth  dealt  with  labor  upon  the  streets  and 
alleys;  the  tenth  forbade  the  sale  of  intoxicating  liquors;  the  eleventh 
licensed  and  regulated  the  keeping  of  billiard  tables;  the  twelfth  pro- 
vided for  licensing  peddlers  and  auctioneers ;  the  thirteenth  related  to 
legal  ])roceedings,  and  the  fourteenth  to  the  election  and  appointment 
of  officers. 

The  railroad  was  completed  to  Toulon  in  June,  1871,  and  during 
the  next  year  there  were  a  number  of  additions  to  the  population. 
Consequently  the  board  of  trustees  on  IMarch  .5,  1873,  issued  a  call  for 
an  election  to  be  held  at  the  courthouse  on  April  7.  1873.  "to  submit 
to  the  voters  of  the  said  town  the  (juestion  whether  the  said  town  shall 
become  incorporated  as  a  city  (village)  under  the  general  incorpora- 
tion laws  of  the  State  of  Illinois." 

A  majority  of  the  votes  were  cast  in  favor  of  the  change  in 
municipal  government  and  the  following  trustees  were  elected:  Den- 
nis JNTawbey,  .James  Nowlan,  H.  StaufFer.  Benjamin  C.  Follett  and 
Warren  Williams.  The  village  government  thus  established  con- 
tinued for  thirty-six  years.     On  A])ril  20,  1909,  an  election  was  held 


IIISTORV  OF  STARK  COUNTY  US 

to  decide  the  question  whether  Toulon  should  incorporate  as  a  city. 
A  majority  of  the  votes  were  cast  in  favor  of  the  chanoc  and  the 
charter  bears  date  of  April  22,  lUOU.  The  lirst  city  othcers  were: 
George  Xowlan,  mayor;  Arthur  Shinii,  clerk;  Harry  B.  Davis,  treas- 
urer; A'ictor  G.  Fuller,  attorney;  F.  C.  INIcClenahan,  Thomas  J. 
Malone,  William  A.  Newton,  Orlando  Brace,  Amiel  F.  Lehman  and 
E.  H.  Lloyd,  aldermen.  Mr.  Nowlan  served  as  mayor  until  the  spring 
of  ini.>,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  J.  H.  Baker. 

ELECTRIC    LIGHT 

On  .Tune  0,  1892.  the  board  of  trustees  granted  to  ^Nfiles  A.  Fuller 
a  fianchise  to  construct  and  maintain  an  electric  lighting  plant,  tiie 
life  of  said  franchise  to  be  twenty-five  years.  Mr.  Fuller  and  his 
associates  went  to  work  almost  immediately  upon  the  ])lant  and  the 
result  was  that  on  the  evening  of  Decembtr  2.),  1892.  the  Town  of 
Toulon  was  lighted  for  the  first  time  by  electricity.  Some  years  later 
the  business  was  incorporated  under  the  name  of  the  "Toulon  Light 
and  Power  Company."  The  power-house,  which  is  located  on  Frank- 
lin Street  between  JNIain  and  Vine,  is  ecjuijjped  with  modern  electric 
machinery  and  the  comj)any  besides  furnishing  light  to  the  people  of 
Toulon  also  furnishes  power  for  pumping  water  for  the  municiiJal 
^^■aterworks. 

WATERWORKS 

^Vbout  the  time  the  form  of  government  was  changed  from  village 
to  city,  the  question  of  establishing  a  sJ^stenl  of  waterworks  was  agi- 
tated by  some  of  the  progressive  citizens.  The  movement  gained 
headway  and  on  .Tune  0,  1910,  the  city  council  passed  an  ordinance 
calling  a  special  election  for  the  ])urpose  of  voting  on  the  question  of 
issuing  bonds  to  the  amount  of  -f  l.l.OOO  to  establish  waterworks.  The 
])ro))osition  to  issue  the  bonds  was  carried  by  a  substantial  ma  joiity 
at  the  election  and  the  engineering  firm  of  W.  S.  Shields  &  Company 
was  given  the  contract  for  the  erection  of  the  tower  and  reservoir  and 
the  installation  of  the  ])um])ing  machinery. 

Gray  Brothers,  well  drillers,  were  em])loved  to  sink  a  deep  well 
and  during  the  summer  of  1911  about  foui-  and  a  half  miles  of  mains 
were  laid,  the  mains  being  paid  for  by  a  s])ecial  assessment  against 
the  property  benefited.  The  well  which  furnishes  the  water  supplv  is 
1,44.8  feet  in  depth.  iV  reservoir  of  .)(),()()()  gallons  and  a  steel  taidc 
mounted  upon  a  tower  also  having  a  capacity  of  50,000  gallons,  hold 


116  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COL  XT  Y 

a  supply  of  water  equal  to  any  demand  that  is  likely  to  arise.  The 
ordinary  jjuniping  capacity  is  sutficient  to  furnish  water  for  daily  use, 
and  in  adtlition  there  is  a  reserve  pump  that  can  be  called  into  requisi- 
tion in  case  of  fire,  etc.  The  cost  of  the  plant  complete,  including  the 
special  assessment  for  the  mains,  was  about  thirty  thousand  dollars. 
Few  cities  in  the  state,  the  size  of  Toulon,  can  boast  a  better  system  of 
waterworks  or  a  more  bountiful  supply  of  pure,  wholesome  water. 

PUBLIC    BUILDINGS,    ETC. 

The  City  Hall,  located  on  Franklin  Street,  adjoining  the  water 
tower  and  the  electric  light  plant,  was  erected  in  1910  at  a  cost  of 
$6,000.  It  is  two  stories  high,  with  walls  of  concrete  block,  steel  ceil- 
ings, etc.  In  the  lower  story  are  kept  the  fire  engine,  hook  and  ladder 
truck  and  other  property  of  the  fire  company,  and  the  second  story 
contains  the  offices  of  the  mayor,  city  clerk,  council  chamber,  and  in 
the  rear  a  room  for  the  members  of  the  fire  dei)artment.  The  Iniilding 
is  heated  by  a  finnace  and  well  provided  with  toilet  rooms  and  lockers 
for  the  municipal  officials  and  employees. 

On  ]March  (5,  1914,  the  council  passed  an  ordinance  for  the  con- 
struction of  a  sewer  system,  to  be  paid  for  by  special  assessment.  The 
contract  was  awarded  to  W.  S.  Shields  &  Company,  the  same  firm 
that  built  the  ^vaterworks.  This  firm  has  made  a  special  study  of 
sewer  problems  in  connection  with  cities,  and  at  Toulon  an  op])or- 
tunity  was  given  for  the  construction  of  a  model  system.  A  septic 
tank  was  built  southeast  of  the  city  and  about  four  miles  of  sewer  laid, 
the  total  cost  being  about  twenty-five  thousand  dollars.  So  well  has 
this  system  done  its  work  that  other  cities  about  to  install  sewers  have 
sent  committees  to  Toulon  to  study  the  methods  used,  and  all  have 
gene  away  satisfied  that  the  city  "got  its  money's  worth"  in  building 
the  way  it  did. 

A  fire  department  was  organized  in  the  early  "90s  and  Charles  S. 
^IcKee  was  appointed  chief  a  little  later,  a  position  he  has  held  ever 
since.  The  first  apparatus  purchased  for  the  use  of  the  company  was 
a  second-hand  hose  reel,  which  was  bought  from  the  City  of  Clalva. 
Then  came  the  hook  and  ladder  truck.  Later  ^Ir.  McKee  went  to 
Indianapolis,  Ind.,  and  purchased  a  combined  gas  engine  and  hose 
cart  fi'om  the  Howe  ^Manufacturing  Company  of  that  city.  With 
this  acquisition  to  the  fire  fighting  eqi!i])ment  of  the  city,  Toulon  is 
well  prepared  to  combat  any  fire  that  is  likely  to  lireak  out.  The 
company  consists  of  twenty-five  members  and  holds  meetings  for 
instruction  and  drill  on  the  third  ^Nlondav  eveniny  in  each  month. 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  117 

The  Toulon  Civic  Club  was  or<«auize(l  at  the  opera  house  on  Thurs- 
day evening,  August  5,  191.).  The  objects  of  the  club,  as  stated  in 
the  articles  of  association,  are  "to  develop,  promote  and  enhance  the 
civiC;  industrial,  eoniniercial  and  agricultural  interests  of  Toulon  and 
vicinity."  C.  D.  ]McClenahan  was  elected  president  of  the  club; 
W.  U.  Sickles,  vice  president;  and  M.  D.  Dewey,  secretary  antl 
treasurer. 

^lention  has  been  made  of  the  establishment  oJ'  tlie  postolliee  at 
Toulon  in  1841  and  the  api)ointment  of  Benjamin  Turner  as  post- 
master. ^Ir.  Turner  continued  in  charge  of  the  office  until  President 
liuchanan  came  into  office  in  18.57,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  Oliver 
Whitaker.  In  191.3  the  office  enii)loye(l  two  clerks,  a  man  to  carry 
mail  from  the  ofHce  to  the  railroad  station  and  return,  five  I'ural  cai'- 
riei's.  and  the  total  receipts  for  the  fiscal  year  ending  on  June  .'{(), 
191.").  amounted  to  nearly  seven  thousand  dollars.  At  that  time  the 
])ostmaster  was  Otto  Raemeister. 

From  the  single  log  cabin  of  John  ^liller  in  1841.  Toulon  had 
grown  to  a  city  of  1,208  inhabitants  in  1910,  with  many  modern 
homes.  It  has  two  fine  public  scliool  liuildings,  a  public  library.  Bap- 
tist, Catholic,  Christian,  Congregational  and  INIethodist  Episcopal 
chiu'clies,  two  lai'ge  grain  eknators,  two  banks,  stock  yards,  several 
miles  of  cement  sidewalks,  a  telei)hone  exchange,  telegraph  and  ex- 
press service,  a  number  of  well  appointed  mercantile  establishments, 
a  weekly  newspaper,  a  motion  picture  tlieater,  an  opera  house,  a  base 
ball  club,  and  on  every  hand  ai'c  to  be  seen  evidences  of  progress  and 
pi'osperit}'. 

CITY    OF    AVYOMING 

Wyoming,  the  largest  city  in  Stark  County,  also  claims  the  dis- 
tinction of  being  the  oldest  town  in  the  county.  It  was  surveyed  in 
INIarch.  18.36.  by  B.  M.  Hayes,  then  surveyor  of  Putnam  County,  for 
Cien.  Samuel  Thomas,  and  the  plat  was  filed  the  following  INIay.  The 
oi'iginai  town  contains  eighteen  blocks  or  squares,  one  of  which  was 
set  aside  by  General  Thomas  for  a  jjublic  square.  William  Street, 
the  northern  boundary,  is  the  line  between  Essex  and  Toulon  town- 
ships, the  plat  being  entirely  within  Essex  Townshij).  The  other 
streets  running  east  and  west  are  Main.  Smith  and  Agard.  Beginning 
at  the  west  line  of  the  plat  the  north  and  soutli  streets  are  numbered 
from  First  to  Seventh,  inclusive.  Since  the  original  plat  was  filed 
additions  have  been  made  wliich  increase  the  area  of  the  cor])oration 
to  more  than  four  times  that  of  the  first  toA\'n  laid  out  by  General 


118  IllSTOUV  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

Thomas.  The  most  important  additions  are  Thomas',  Dana's,  Scott 
&  W'rigley's,  and  the  two  additions  hiid  out  hv  Dr.  Alfred  Castle, 
sometimes  called  "Xorth  \Vy()ming." 

Gen.  Samuel  Thomas,  the  founder  of  Wyoming,  was  horn  in  the 
State  of  Connecticut,  February  2,  1787.  When  about  nineteen  or 
twenty  years  old  he  went  to  the  Wyoming  Valley,  in  Pennsylvania. 
At  the  beginning  of  the  War  of  1812,  he  was  captain  of  a  company 
of  young  men  who  were  well  drilled  in  artillery  tactics.  He  ofi'ered 
the  services  of  his  conqjany  to  the  Cxovernment  and  the  offer  was 
accepted,  the  company  being  ordered  to  Erie,  Pennsylvania,  where 
Commodore  Perry  was  engaged  in  building  his  fleet.  Captain  Thomas 
was  placed  in  command  of  the  post  and  several  times  thwarted  the 
British  in  their  attempts  to  burn  Perry's  ships  before  they  were  com- 
pleted. His  company  then  joined  the  army  under  Gen.  William  PI. 
Harrison  and  he  was  present  at  the  battle  of  the  Thames,  where  the 
celebrated  Shawnee  chief,  Tecumseh,  was  killed.  After  the  war  he 
was  apiJointed  inspector  of  the  Pennsylvania  militia  and  in  1828  was 
commissioned  brigadier-general.  After  serving  two  terms  in  the 
Legislature  of  Pennsylvania  he  decided  to  seek  his  fortunes  in  the 
West,  and  in  October,  183-i,  he  purchased  the  claim  of  his  brother-in- 
law,  Sylvanus  ]Moore,  who  had  preceded  him  to  Stark  County,  111. 
When  he  concluded  to  lay  off  a  town,  his  recollections  of  the  Wyoming 
Valley  prompted  him  to  confer  that  name  upon  his  town.  General 
Thomas  was  engaged  in  farming  and  keeping  store  until  his  death,  on 
July  21,  186j.  He  was  one  of  the  leading  members  of  the  3Iethodist 
Church,  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  took  an  active  in- 
terest in  political  affairs  as  a  democrat. 

Concerning  the  earlv  history  and  growth  of  Wyoming,  jMrs.  Shal- 


'o 


lenberger,  in  her  "Stark  County  and  its  Pioneers,"  says:  "For  a  long 
time  it  had  little  but  a  name.  In  a  communication  to  the  Lacon  Herald 
in  1838,  it  is  spoken  of  as  having  upon  its  site  'one  second  hand  log 
smoke  house,  which  serves  the  double  purpose  of  store  and  postoffice.' 
Xevertheless,  its  name  appears  upon  several  maps  of  that  time,  and 
it  was  a  prominent  candidate  for  the  county  seat.  It  is  said  that  some 
speculators  interested  in  the  sale  of  lots,  had  circulars  struck  off  and 
circulated  in  the  eastern  states,  in  which  this  town  ^^•as  represented  in 
1837  at  the  head  of  navigation  on  Spoon  River,  with  fine  warehouses 
towering  aloft  and  boats  lying  at  the  wharf  which  negroes  were  load- 
ing and  unloading,  giving  the  appearance  of  a  busy  commercial  mart. 
This  may  be  but  a  story,  still  it  serves  to  illustrate  the  speculating 
mania  of  those  days;  which  disease  has  not  yet  ceased  to  afHict  man- 
kind. l)ut  has  only  traveled  a  few  degrees  farther  west." 


\  iKW  \()i;iii  UN  M,i;i  II  si:\  i:\Tii  stkiokt.  \\■^"(IMIXI; 


PI  i;i-ii   i.ii,i;ai:\  ,  w  voMl.NU 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLiNOiS 
URBANA 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  n* 

Whether  the  stoiy  of  the  eircular  he  true  or  not — and  it  may  have 
been,  as  such  occurrences  were  bj'  no  means  rare  in  those  days — ^Vyo- 
niino-  has  i)assc(l  the  point  wliere  such  subterfuges  are  necessary  to  call 
attention  to  its  couunereial  importance.  In  18G.5,  just  after  tiie  close 
of  the  Civil  war,  there  was  a  marked  increase  in  the  number  of  inhabi- 
tants and  in  response  to  a  petition  the  "Town  of  Wyoming"  was  duly 
incorporated  under  the  laws  of  Illinois.  Unfortunately  the  early 
records  of  the  village  under  this  first  government  have  not  been  pre- 
served. In  fact,  but  little  attention  was  paid  to  nuinici])al  matters 
until  after  the  completion  of  the  two  railroads  in  1871.  Then  a  more 
active  interest  was  awakened  and  in  1872  A.  G.  Hammond,  Otis  T. 
Dyer,  Perry  H.  Smith,  A.  J.  Conover  and  C.  Collier  were  elected 
trustees.  In  the  organization  of  the  board  Perry  II.  Smith  was 
elected  president  and  JNIr.  Collier,  clerk. 

In  the  spring  of  1898  a  census  was  taken,  which  showed  the  lumi- 
ber  of  inhabitants  to  be  1,311.  An  ordinance  was  then  passed  by  the 
board  of  trustees  dividing  the  town  into  three  wards  and  ordering  an 
election  to  determine  whether  or  not  Wyoming  should  be  incorporated 
as  a  city  under  the  general  laws  of  the  state.  The  voting  places  were 
designated  as  follows:  Fir^t  Ward,  Engine  House  No.  2,  on  ^lain 
Street;  Second  Ward,  Engine  House  No.  1,  on  the  north  side  of 
William  Street;  Third  \Vard.  King  Brotliers'  store,  on  the  south  side 
of  William  Street.  The  election  was  held  on  April  19.  1898,  and  a 
majority  of  the  citizens  cast  their  votes  in  favor  of  a  city  government. 

A  special  meeting  of  the  old  board  of  trustees  was  then  held  on 
April  2<j,  1898,  for  the  purpose  of  inaugurating  the  new  regime.  As 
this  was  the  last  meeting  of  the  town  officials  under  the  old  village 
system,  it  may  be  of  interest  to  know  w  ho  tlie  men  were  that  changed 
Wyoming  from  a  village  to  a  city.  C.  P.  ]McCorkle  was  president  of 
the  board;  W.  E.  Nixon,  clerk;' II.  R.  Brown,  J.  A.  Klock,  M.  P. 
Ryan,  W.  J.  Townsend,  31arshall  Winn  and  Peter  Lane,  trustees. 
The  first  and  most  important  business  of  the  special  meeting  Avas  to 
appoint  the  19th  day  of  INIay  as  the  date  of  the  first  election  for  city 
officers.  On  that  date  S.  R.  Perkins  was  chosen  mayor;  A.  W.  Hig- 
bee,  Henry  Duckworth,  Fred  Stevenson,  Fred  Ditewig,  H.  R.  Rrown 
and  C.  F.  Hamilton,  trustees;  Ernest  Mortimer,  clerk;  M.  H.  Lutes, 
treasurer. 

In  1899  A.  J.  Harty  was  elected  mayor  and  served  until  190.), 
when  he  was  succeeded  ])y  John  W.  Smith.  George  F.  Garden  was 
elected  mayor  in  1909  and  was  succeeded  by  the  present  incumbent, 
William  H.  Hartz,  in  1913.    The  other  members  of  the  city  govern- 


120  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

ineiit  in  1915  were:  Frank  Jacobs,  clerk;  Charles  Peve,  treasurer; 
F.  S.  Foster,  Elting  Arganbright,  Charles  Ingram,  C.  F.  Scott,  A.  C. 
Cooper  and  A.  C.  Stagg,  aldermen. 

THE  rosTOiaicF, 

As  stated  in  the  chapter  on  Township  History,  the  first  postoffice 
in  Stark  Comity  was  established  in  the  Essex  Settlement  in  1833, 
with  Isaac  B.  Essex  as  postmaster.  When  Gen.  Samuel  Thomas  came 
to  the  county  in  IHSi  he  was  accompanietl  by  several  others,  among 
whom  was  a  man  named  ^Villiam  Cxodley.  Two  years  later  the  Town 
of  Wyoming  was  platted  and  a  movement  was  started  to  secure  the 
removal  of  the  postofiice  to  the  new  town.  This  project  was  favored 
by  the  people  living  about  Osceola  Grove  and  those  living  along  the 
Spoon  River  above  the  Essex  Settlement,  as  a  matter  of  convenience, 
and  a  petition  was  circulated  asking  for  the  removal  of  the  office  and 
the  appointment  of  ^YiIliam  Godley  as  postmaster.  The  petition  was 
granted  and  the  new  appointee,  accompanied  by  James  Holgate,  went 
to  the  Essex  dwelling  to  receive  possession  of  the  property  appertain- 
ing to  the  postoffice.  What  happened  upon  their  arrival  there  is  thus 
told  by  INIrs.  Shallenberger: 

"JNlr.  Holgate  soon  noticed  indications  of  a  coming  storm  in  the 
countenance  and  conduct  of  ^Irs.  Essex.  She  was  washing  when  they 
entered,  and  for  awhile  continued  her  occupation  with  a  vim  that 
astonished  her  visitors,  rubbing  and  scrubbing  almost  furiously,  then 
she  deliberatelj^  turned  from  her  tub,  wiped  her  arms  and  hands,  sat 
down  and  gave  them  her  opinion  of  men  who  would  steal  a  postoffice. 
in  terms  which  those  gentlemen  can  never  forget.  Later  in  the  day  a 
neighbor  coming  in  and  observing  she  was  excited,  inquired  the  cause, 
when  she  made  the  apt,  Init  petulant,  play  upon  their  names,  INIr. 
Clifford  has  recorded,  saying:  'God  Almighty  and  Hellsgate  have 
come  and  taken  away  our  postoffice.'  Surely  enough  to  upset  any 
woman,  and  coming  on  washday  at  that!" 

It  could  hardly  have  been  the  income  that  at  that  time  made  JNIr. 
Essex  so  desirous  of  retaining  the  postoffice.  but  rather  the  prestige  it 
gave  him  in  the  settlement.  The  affair  created  some  strife  between 
the  settlements  on  the  lower  and  upper  jjortions  of  the  Spoon  River, 
but  the  office  remained  at  Wyoming  and  in  time  the  affair  was 
forgotten. 

At  the  close  of  the  fiscal  year  ending  on  June  30,  101.),  the  Wyo- 
nn'ng  ])ostoffice  showed  receipts  of  about  five  thousand  dollars,  em- 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  1:^1 

ployed  two  people  in  tlie  office  and  four  mral  carriers  who  delivered 
mail  daily  to  a  lar<>e  tract  of  the  surrounding"  country.  P.  B.  Colwell 
was  then  postmaster. 

ELECTRIC    LIGHT 

On  April  7.  IH'.H).  an  ordinance  was  passed  by  the  village  board 
granting  a  francliise  to  R.  C.  Jordan  &  Company  to  light  the  Town 
of  Wyoming  with  electricity.  It  seems  that  tlie  recipients  of  this 
favor  failed  to  do  anything  under  the  provisions  of  the  franchise,  and 
on  July  t>,  1892.  another  ordinance  relating  to  the  subject  was  passed, 
giving  to  E.  B.  Hillman  c^  Company,  of  Peoria,  authority  "to  con- 
struct maintain  and  operate  an  electric  light  and  power  plant."  Hxing 
tlie  rates  to  be  cliarged  by  the  firm,  and  containing  i)rovisions  for  the 
purchase  of  the  plant  l)y  the  village.  Soon  after  the  passage  of  the 
ordinance,  Mr.  Hillman  and  his  associates  began  the  construction  of 
a  power-house  just  west  of  the  Rock  Island  Railroad  station,  setting 
poles  and  running  wires  througli  tlie  streets,  and  l)efore  the  close  of  the 
year  Wyoming  was  rejoicing  in  the  fact  that  it  had  an  electric  lighting 
system  in  operation. 

On  November  6,  1912,  the  company  was  reorganized  and  incor- 
porated for  fifty  years,  under  the  name  of  the  Stark  County  Power 
Com])any.  with  a  cajjital  stock  of  !p2(),()()().  held  by  Edwin  B.  HiUman, 
Adele  S.  Hillman  and  Edgar  P.  Reeder.  Tliis  company  now  fur- 
nishes electric  light  and  power  to  tlie  towns  of  Castleton  and  Brad- 
ford, as  well  as  to  the  City  of  Wyoming.  Its  plant  is  ecjuipped  with 
modern  machinery  and  the  service  is  as  good  as  is  generally  found  in 
cities  of  Wyoming's  class. 

AVATEIMVOlUvS 

The  first  move  toward  establishing  a  system  of  waterworks  for 
the  City  of  Wyoming  was  the  ])assage  of  an  ordinance  by  the  city 
council  on  April  22,  1902,  granting  to  S.  V.  Deem,  of  Galva.  111.,  a 
franchise  to  construct  a  water  system  at  a  cost  of  $28,()()().  the  life  of 
the  fianchise  to  be  twenty  years.  INIr.  Deem  carried  out  the  pro- 
visions of  the  ordinance  and  the  waterworks  were  completed  the  fol- 
lowing year. 

On  March  7.  1904.  the  city  council  passed  an  ordinance  entitled 
the  "Waterworks  I'mrhase  Oi-dinance,"  under  the  i)rovisions  of  which 
the  city  purchased  the  entire  plant  from  S.  Y.  Deem  for  $.'}().()8.j. 
The  first  bond,  or  waterwoi-ks  certificate,  for  .f()8.).  was  made  pay- 


122  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

able  on  the  first  day  of  Ajjril,  11)04,  and  the  reauiining  $30,000  in 
certificates  of  $1,000  each,  payable  annually  and  bearing  interest 
at  the  rate  of  5  per  cent  per  annnni.  The  amount  of  these  bonds  or 
certificates  outstanding  on  September  1,  1915,  was  $9,000.  Both 
the  franchise  for  the  construction  of  the  plant  and  the  purchase 
ordinance  were  adt)pted  during  the  administration  of  flavor 
A.  J.  Harty. 

The  system  consists  of  a  Mater  tower  100  feet  in  height,  with  a 
capacity  of  .'id, 000  gallons:  five  miles  of  mains,  and  a  pumping 
capacity  of  200  gallons  per  minute.  The  rates  charged  are  3.5  cents 
per  1.000  gallons  per  month,  up  to  10,000  gallons,  and  all  over  that 
amount  25  cents  per  1,000  gallons  per  month.  The  number  of  con- 
sumers on  October  1,  1915,  was  245.  The  supply  comes  from  a  deep 
well  and  the  quality  of  the  Avater  is  excellent. 

PUBLIC   PARKS 

Wyoming  has  two  public  parks — the  public  square  laid  out  by 
General  Thomas  when  he  platted  the  town  in  1836,  and  Central  Park, 
at  the  northeast  corner  of  Galena  Avenue  and  Van  Buren  Street,  in 
Scott  &  Wrigley's  addition.  The  latter  was  set  apart  at  the  time 
the  addition  w^as  platted  as  a  site  for  the  courthouse  in  the  event 
Wyoming  secured  the  county  seat,  which  the  people  were  then  trying 
to  obtain.  Both  are  real  "beauty  spots,"  being  provided  with  band- 
stands, seats,  swings  for  the  little  ones,  handsome  shade  trees,  etc., 
and  they  form  jjlaces  for  recreation  and  amusement  for  the  people. 

OTHER    PUBLIC    IMPROVE5IEXTS 

About  the  time  the  waterworks  were  completed  the  subject  of  a 
sewer  system  began  to  engage  the  attention  of  the  people.  The  first 
sewer,  which  was  constructed  by  general  taxation,  runs  from  a  jjoint 
on  the  south  side  of  Van  Buren  Street,  opposite  Central  Park,  to 
the  southwestern  part  of  the  city,  near  the  cemetery.  Since  it  was 
built  other  sewers  have  been  added  from  time  to  time  by  special 
assessments  until  Wyoming  has  a  method  of  disposing  of  its  sewage 
that  is  as  good  as  that  found  in  most  cities  of  its  size. 

The  fire  department  is  a  volunteer  organizatiou.  but  is  marked 
by  efficiency  and  promptness  in  time  of  need.  Prior  to  the  estal)lish- 
ment  of  the  city  government  two  engine  houses  were  built  by  the 
municipality — one  on  the  north  side  of  William  Street  and  the  other 


■■^viMr^:^^^^^*' 


STREET  SCENE  IN  BRADFORD 


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UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 
URBANA 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  123 

on  the  south  side  of  the  same  street— and  botli  were  supplied  with 
approved  tire-fij>htin<>-  apparatus.  AVith  the  completion  of  tlie 
waterworks  an  additional  supply  of  hose  was  purchased,  to  he 
attached  to  the  hydrants  in  case  of  tire,  and  this  assured  ample  tire 
protection  for  all  ordinary  occasions. 

Within  recent  years  \Vyoming  has  given  considerable  attention 
to  building  sidewalks  and  oiling  the  roadways  of  the  streets.  The 
result  is  several  miles  of  excellent  concrete  sidewalks  and  dustless, 
streets  that  makes  the  little  city  one  of  the  cleanest  in  the  State  of 
Illinois. 

MISCELLANEOUS 

The  fair  grounds  of  the  AVyoming  Agricultural  Society  are 
located  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  city,  a  short  distance  east  of  the 
Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad  and  within  easy  walking 
distance  of  the  business  district.  The  first  fair  was  held  here  in  Sep-) 
tember.  1881. 

Resides  lieing  the  oldest  town  in  the  county,  Wyoming  claims  the 
honor  of  having  the  first  frame  house.  A  year  or  two  after  the  town 
was  started  by  General  Thomas,  Whitney  Smith  erected  a  small 
frame  building,  \\  hieli  he  used  for  a  store,  and  it  is  generally  conceded 
that  this  was  the  first  frame  structure  of  any  kind  to  be  erected  in 
Stai-k  County. 

Two  modern  pul)lic  school  buildings,  one  known  as  the  South  Side 
School  and  the  other  as  the  North  Side,  furnish  excellent  educational 
facilities  for  the  city.  During  the  school  year  of  1!)14-1.3  eleven 
teachers  were  employed. 

AVyoming  has  two  banks,  a  pul)lic  library,  a  weekly  newspaper, 
a  number  of  mercantile  houses  that  compare  favorably  with  those  of 
larger  cities.  Congregational,  Catholic,  Episcopal  and  ^Methodist 
churches,  grain  elevators,  lumber  and  coal  yards,  hotel  and  restaurants, 
a  large  ])oultry  house,  a  motion  ])icture  theater,  an  opera  house,  a 
baseball  club,  a  large  number  of  cozy  homes,  and  in  1!)10  reported  a 
population  of  1,;50().  Being  located  at  the  junction  of  the  Chicago, 
Burlington  &  Quincy  and  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  rail- 
roads, it  is  the  princi])al  shij)ping  ])oint  for  a  rich  agricultural  district 
in  Essex,  Penn,  Toulon  and  Valley  townships  and  large  (|uantities  of 
grain  and  livestock  are  handled  here  annually. 

BRADFORD 

Bradford,  the  third  largest  town  in  the  county,  is  situated  in  the 
northeastern  part  of  the  county,  the  original  plat  being  in  sections  23 


124  lUSTOKY  OF  STARK  COLMV 

and  "20,  Osceola  Township.  It  was  surveyed  on  ^Vpril  27,  18.5-t,  by 
Sylvester  F.  Ottman,  then  county  surveyor,  for  Bradford  S.  Foster 
and  derived  its  name  from  the  Chi'istian  name  of  the  proprietor.  In 
making  the  survey,  JNIr.  Ottman  located  Main  Street  on  the  section 
line.  North  of  this  is  one  tier  of  lots.  The  next  street  south  is  Arbor 
and  Soutli  Street  forms  the  southern  boundary  of  the  original  town. 
Between  ^Main  and  Arbor  (at  first  called  Bowery)  streets  was  left 
a  "market  square,"  and  north  of  JMain  Street  was  a  public  square, 
intersected  by  a  short  street  called  Park.  This  scjuare  was  vacated  by 
a  vote  of  the  citizens  at  an  election  held  on  Sei)tember  22,  18(39.  The 
noi'th  and  south  streets  in  the  original  plat  were  Peoria,  Park  and 
Kim,  and  the  total  number  of  lots  was  thirty-seven.  Since  then 
Foster's  and  Phenix's  first  and  second  additions  have  extended  the 
limits  of  the  town  toward  the  south  and  west,  and  Drawyer's, 
Pilgrim's.  Real's  and  some  minor  additions  have  extended  the  limits 
northward  and  eastward  into  sections  24  and  2.5  until  the  corporation 
includes  about  one  square  mile. 

In  the  fall  of  18G9,  when  it  became  certain  that  the  Dixon,  Peoria 
&  Hannibal  (now  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy)  Railroad  was 
to  be  built  through  Bradford,  the  town  experienced  its  first  boom. 
A  number  of  energetic,  progressive  men  bought  lots  and  established 
homes  and  business  houses.  The  town  was  incorporated  on  August  13, 
18(i9.  and  ]M.  S.  Curtiss  was  elected  the  first  president  of  the  board 
of  trustees.  At  the  general  election  held  on  Xovember  4.  187'3.  the 
question  of  incorporating  under  the  general  laws  of  the  state  was 
carried  bj^  a  substantial  majoritj^  and  the  present  form  of  municipal 
government  was  shortly  afterward  inaugurated.  .Toshua  Prouty  was 
elected  the  first  president  of  the  board  under  the  new  charter.  In 
191.5  the  village  government  was  composed  of  Albert  Deyo,  president; 
George  A.  ISIarsh,  clerk:  R.  W.  Sharp,  Walter  Scholes,  W.  S.  Ribley, 
R.  C.  Hay,  O.  C.  Boyd  and  R.  D.  Lackman,  trustees. 

A  postoffice  was  established  at  Bradford  soon  after  the  town  was 
surveyed,  but  the  name  of  the  first  jxistmaster  could  not  be  learned 
by  the  writer.  Some  idea  of  the  growth  of  the  town  and  the  develo])- 
ment  of  its  business  interests  may  be  gained  from  the  knowledge 
that  in  191.5  the  postoffice  had  risen  to  a  third-class  office,  Avith  annual 
receipts  of  about  four  thousand  dollars,  em])l()ying  two  people  and 
being  the  source  of  five  rural  routes  that  distrii)ute  mail  daily  over  a 
large  territory.     T.  .T.  Mowbray  was  then  postmaster. 

On  September  7,  1896,  "in  compliance  with  a  vote  of  the  legal 
voters  at  a  special  election."  the  board  of  trustees  passed  an  ordinance 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  125 

to  issue  five  bonds  of  $1,000  each,  tlie  first  due  in  five  years  aiul  the 
hist  ill  nine,  with  interest  at  (5  per  cent  per  annum,  for  the  purpose 
of  instalhng  a  system  of  waterworks  for  the  viUage.  A  deep  well 
was  sunk,  a  pumphouse  erected,  a  large  tank  mounted  upon  a  tall 
tower  and  a  reserve  tank  constructed,  mains  laid  upon  the  princi- 
pal streets,  and  in  the  summer  of  18U7  the  water  was  turned  on. 

The  fire  department  was  organized  imdei-  the  provisions  of  an 
ordinance  passed  on  April  4.  1904.  The  force  consists  of  twenty-five 
men  (volunteers)  and  the  equipment  of  hosecarts,  the  pressure  from 
the  waterworks  being  suHicient  to  furnish  enough  water  to  extinguish 
any  fire  that  is  likely  to  occur.  The  members  of  the  department  meet 
at  regidar  intervals  for  drill  and  instruction. 

Jiiadford  has  two  hanks,  a  weekly  newspapei'.  churches  of  several 
faiths,  a  fine  jjublic  school  building,  in  which  eight  teachers  are  em- 
ployed, well  kept  streets,  good  sidewalks,  several  well  stocked  stores, 
two  large  grain  elevators,  a  number  of  handsome  residences,  and  the 
visitor  to  the  town  is  impressed  by  the  air  of  prosperity  and  couimer- 
cial  activity.     In  11)10  the  population  of  Bradford  was  770. 

LAFAYETTE 

Located  on  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  Railroad,  six  miles 
west  of  Toulon  and  near  the  Knox  Countj'  line,  is  the  incorporated 
Village  of  Lafayette.  The  original  plat — blocks  1  to  10,  of  eight  lots 
each — was  surveyed  on  July  7,  IS.'JG,  by  George  A.  Charles,  then 
county  surveyor  of  Knox  County,  for  William  Dunbar.  On  the  north 
of  tills  part  of  the  town  is  JMonroe  Street.  From  Monroe  Street  it 
extends  southward  to  Franklin,  bounded  on  the  east  bj^  Hodgson 
Street  and  on  the  west  by  Timber.  Additions  have  since  been  made 
until  now  the  town  embraces  forty  squares  of  eight  lots  each.  The 
north  and  south  streets  are  Willow,  JMulberry,  East  INIain,  Hodgson, 
jNIain  and  Timber,  the  last  named  forming  the  western  limits  of  the 
town.  Ikginning  at  the  north,  the  east  and  west  streets  are  Monroe, 
Jefferson,  Lafayette,  Washington,  Jackson,  Franklin,  ]Madison  and 
Adams,  and  there  is  one  row  of  l)locks  south  of  Adams  Street.  The 
northern  tier  of  lots  in  block  20  and  the  southern  tier  of  block  21  were 
taken  to  form  a  public  sfjuare,  which  is  intersected  by  Jackson  Street. 
The  railroad  cuts  off  the  north  side  of  this  square  and  the  remainder 
of  it  forms  a  ])leasant  little  ])ublic  ])ark.  The  additions  to  the  first 
plat  were  made  by  Jonathan  Hodgson,  Henry  Dunbar  and  John 
Lundy,  August  8,  1836. 


126  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

One  of  the  first  houses  in  Lafayette  was  built  by  Wilhani  Uunbar,  | 
the  "Okl  Hatter,"  mentioned  in  a  former  chapter.  Few  lots  were 
sold  until  about  184'2  and  1843,  when  Asahel  Holmes,  George  W. 
Jackson,  George  W.  Dunbar,  James  J.  Wilson,  Joshua  Woodbury, 
William  Wheeler  and  a  few  others  all  bought  property  in  the  new 
town.  Other  early  settlers  were  Peter  F.  JNIiner,  Daniel  J.  and  Theo- 
dore F.  Hurd,  William  D.  Runyan,  Jehial  Bouton,  James  B.  Lewis, 
Gilbert  \\^ard,  Thomas  N.  Fitch,  \\"alter  Hock,  James  Dunn  and 
James  E.  White,  some  of  whom  located  as  early  as  1837.  Several 
of  these  Lafayette  pioneers  afterward  became  prominent  in  the 
affairs  of  Stark  County. 

Jesse  C.  Ware  was  the  first  merchant  and  is  said  to  have  been  the 
first  man  to  build  a  house  within  the  limits  of  the  town.  Theodore  F. 
Hurd  and  Barnabas  M.  Jackson  were  other  early  merchants,  and  Ira 
Reed  opened  a  shoe  shop  as  early  as  1838.  Some  years  later  a  few 
enterprising  individuals  organized  a  stock  company  to  build  a  carding 
mill  and  woolen  factory,  but  it  proved  to  be  a  financial  failure. 

At  an  election  held  in  ISGO  the  vote  on  the  question  of  incor- 
poration was  forty-one  for  to  thirteen  against  tlie  proposition.  The 
first  board  of  trustees  was  composed  of  Thomas  W.  Ross,  J.  H. 
Nichols.  Daniel  J.  Hurd.  Dennis  Lee  and  James  Martin.  The  gov- 
ernment thus  established  existed  until  September,  1872,  when  tlie 
vote  on  the  question  of  obtaining  a  new  charter  was  twenty-four  for 
to  eighteen  opposed.  The  first  trustees  under  the  new  charter  ^\•ere 
M.  S.  Barnett,  James  ^Martin,  Samuel  White,  B.  H.  Snyder,  Daniel 
J.  Hurd  and  Dr.  J.  H.  Nichols.  The  election  of  clerk  was  declared 
illegal  and  C.  P.  Jackson  was  elected  in  1874.  In  lOl.')  J.  H.  Wliite 
was  jjresident  of  the  village  board;  F.  T.  Gelvin,  clerk:  Joshua  Grant, 
Samuel  Hanks,  James  Norton,  S.  E.  White,  V.  H.  Brown  and 
Wiley  Plankel,  trustees. 

Some  years  ago  the  village  board  granted  to  Jesse  S.  Atherton  a 
i'ranchise  to  build,  ecjuij)  and  operate  an  electric  light  plant.  Mr. 
Atherton  built  the  plant  and  conducted  it  for  some  time  when  he 
sold  out  to  some  parties  in  Galva,  111.,  and  Lafayette  is  now  suj)- 
plied  with  light  from  Galva.  The  streets  of  the  village  are  kept  well 
oiled,  keeping  down  the  dust;  there  are  several  blocks  of  good  cement 
sidewalks;  the  village  has  a  commodious  public  scliool  building  in 
which  foiu"  teachers  are  employed  during  the  school  year.  Formerlv 
there  were  several  churches,  but  they  have  all  fallen  into  disuse  except 
the  ^Metliodist  I^piscopal,  which  is  now  the  only  active  denomination. 
The  Inisiness  interests  of  the  village  include  a  bank,  several  stores 


i;a\k  AM)  iM  r.i.ii    l.ll■.l:Al;^ .  i.a  lA^l;^■|■|■; 


l-rULK'   I'AUK.   I.A    I  A^  I.I  11. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  /LLflVOIS 
URBANA 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  127 

haudliny  practically  all  lines  of  goods,  grain  elevators,  restanrants, 
etc.,  and  there  are  two  large  nurseries  near  the  town  that  ship  fruit 
trees  and  plants.  Lafayette  also  has  a  public  library,  the  gift  of  Mrs. 
Reed,  an  account  of  which  will  be  found  in  the  chapter  on  Educational 
Development.     The  pt)pulation  in  11)10  was  287. 

The  smaller  villages  of  the  county,  those  not  incorporated  and 
those  that  have  ceased  to  exist,  are  treated  in  alphabetical  order, 
beginning  with 

CAMP  GROVE 

Strictly  siJeaking.  Camp  Grove  is  no  longer  in  Stark  County.  It 
was  established  at  an  early  date  on  the  lines  between  Stark  and 
Marshall  counties,  near  the  southeast  corner  of  Penn  Township. 
Among  the  early  business  men  here  were:  J.  Townsend  and  Cyrus 
Rocock,  general  merchants;  R.  G.  Fargo,  dealer  in  iron  and  metals; 
William  Evans,  butcher;  S.  H.  Nichols,  contractor  and  builder,  and 
^^\  J.  Townsend.  postmaster.  When  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern 
Railroad  from  Peoria  to  Nelson  was  built  in  1902,  it  passed  about 
hall'  a  mile  east  of  Camp  Grove  and  most  of  the  business  concerns 
"pulled  up  stakes"  and  removed  to  the  railroad.  About  all  that  is 
left  of  the  old  village  is  the  Catholic  Church  and  cemetery. 

CASTLETOX 

This  thriving  little  place  is  situated  in  sections  9  and  16  of  Penn 
Township,  on  the  Ruda  &  Rushville  division  of  the  Chicago,  Rurling- 
ton  &:  Quincy  Railroad.  It  was  surveyed  by  Edwin  Rutler,  surveyor 
of  Stark  County,  on  ^Nlarch  -1,  1870.  for  Dr.  Alfred  II.  Castle,  after 
whom  it  was  named.  The  original  ])lat  shows  seven  blocks  averaging 
sixteen  lots  each,  the  north  and  south  streets  being  Main.  Washington 
and  I^incoln,  and  the  cast  and  west  streets,  Smith,  Shei'man  and  State. 
Since  the  original  plat  was  filed  three  additions  have  been  made  to 
the  town — Julg's  and  Fuller's,  of  six  lots  each,  and  Kissinger's,  of 
foity-five  lots.  Among  the  early  business  concerns  of  Castleton  were 
Klock  &  Fleming's  grain  elevator,  Leo  Julg's  boot  and  shoe  store, 
D.  \V.  Crum's  drug  store.  G.  Wright's  hardware  and  farm  implement 
house,  ]Mrs.  Stewart's  hotel  and  II.  I).  ^lartin's  wagon  and  paint  sho]). 

The  Castleton  of  191.)  boasts  several  good  mercantile  establish- 
ments, a  branch  of  Scott.  Walters  &  Rakestraw's  bank,  three  churches, 
a  fine  ])ublic  school  liuilding,  two  grain  elevators,  a  town  hall,  a  number 
of  minor  business  concerns  and  many  pretty  homes.     Tiie  streets  and 


128  lllSTOKV   OF  STAKK  CUL'M'V 

sidewalks  are  in  good  condition  and  tlie  town  is  lighted  by  electricity 
from  the  plant  of  the  Stark  Connty  Power  Company  at  Wyoming. 
It  ships  considerable  quantities  of  grain  and  livestock,  and  in  1910 
reported  a  population  of  201. 

DUNCAN 

On  June  10,  1870,  Edwin  IJutler,  county  surveyor,  platted  the 
Town  of  Duncan  for  Dr.  Alfred  H.  Castle,  with  six  blocks  (104  lots) 
though  blocks  1  and  4  were  afterward  vacated.  The  streets  running 
north  and  south  are  ^Monroe,  Adams  and  Jefferson,  and  those  running- 
east  and  west  are  Main,  Washington  and  Galena.  Duncan  is  located 
in  section  35,  Erssex  Township,  on  the  Buda  &  Rushville  division  of 
the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad,  seven  miles  south  of 
Wyoming.  F.  F.  Brockway  and  John  H.  Slater  were  among  the 
first  merciiants  of  the  town;  George  Fautz  oi)ened  a  hardware  store, 
^Villiam  Heath  conducted  a  grocery  store  and  a  hotel,  John  Barker 
was  the  village  blacksmith,  and  Dr.  T.  C.  Thomas  was  probably  the 
first  resident  physician.  A  postoffice  was  started  soon  after  the 
village  was  laid  out  in  1870,  with  W.  H.  Miller  as  postmaster. 

Although  a  shipping  point  of  considerable  importance,  Duncan  has 
never  grown  to  be  a  town  of  any  great  projiortions.  Rand  & 
]McXally  give  the  pojjulation  in  1910  as  12.5.  Scott,  Walters  &  Rake- 
straw,  of  Wyoming,  have  a  branch  bank  at  Duncan.  The  village 
has  general  stores,  a  grain  elevator,  lumber  yard,  hotel,  several  small 
shoi^s,  a  church  and  a  public  school. 

ELMIRA 

W.  R.  Sandham,  of  Wyoming,  who  has  given  considerable  atten- 
tion to  the  origin  of  Stark  County  names,  says:  "Elmira  is  the  name 
given  to  a  postoffice  which  was  first  established  about  tlie  j-ear  1837, 
where  the  jiresent  Village  of  Osceola  is  now  located.  It  Avas  named 
by  Oliver  ^Vhitaker,  its  first  postmaster,  after  his  former  home, 
Elmira,  New  York.  About  the  year  1845  the  postoffice  was  mo\ed 
to  its  present  location  on  the  Avest  side  of  Spoon  River  and  the  name 
moved  with  it." 

However,  the  Village  of  Elmira  had  its  beginning  some  two  years 
before  the  removal  of  the  postoffice  as  mentioned  by  ]Mr.  Sandham. 
In  1843  Ambrose  Fuller  entered  the  quarter  section  of  land  upon 
wliicli  the  village  stands  and  ojjened  a  store.     Fuller's  store  soon 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  129 

became  a  sort  of  rallying  point  for  the  people  of  the  neighborhood, 
the  MetluKhsts  anil  Presbyterians  located'  churches  there,  several 
families  purchased  lots  and  built  dwellings,  thus  starting  a  town.  No 
otiicial  plat  of  Elmira  was  ever  filed  with  the  county  recorder,  though 
part  of  the  town  is  known  as  "Parsons'  subdivision."  In  1!>15  Elmira 
had  two  churches,  two  general  stores,  some  small  business  concerns,  a 
public  school  and  a  few  residences.  Rand  &  McXally  give  the  po])ula- 
tion  in  I'JIO  as  7tJ.  The  postoHice  has  been  discontinued  and  mail  is 
now  delivered  by  rural  carrier  from  Toulon. 

LOMBAKDVILLE 

On  June  15,  1870,  Edwin  Butler,  then  county  surveyor,  surveyed 
the  Town  of  Lombardville  for  Julia  A.  Lombard  and  Dr.  Alfred  H. 
Castle,  and  the  plat  was  filed  on  the  8th  of  July  following.  Lombard- 
ville is  located  on  the  Buda  &  Rushville  division  of  the  Chicago,  Bur- 
lington <Sc  Quincy  Railroail,  on  the  line  dividing  sections  2  and  11, 
Osceola  Township.  The  original  i)lat  shows  104  lots,  with  State, 
Frajiklin,  Lombard  and  Duncan  streets  running  north  and  south,  and 
Howard,  JNIain  and  Washington  rim  east  and  west.  The  hotel  and 
elevator  were  completed  in  the  fall  of  1870,  the  I^ombardville  Mining 
Comj)any  began  operations  about  the  same  time,  and  for  some  time 
the  village  showed  signs  of  becoming  a  town  of  some  importance,  lint 
the  coal  deposits  were  worked  out,  much  of  the  trade  was  diverted  to 
Bradford  and  other  towns  and  Lombardville  never  came  up  to  the 
expectations  of  its  foimders.  A  public  school,  a  general  store  and 
grain  elevators  are  the  jirincipal  institutions.  INIail  is  delivered  by 
rural  carrier  from  the  postoflRce  at  Bradford. 

MASSU.I.ON 

Says  Mrs.  Shallenberger:  "Massillon  was  situated  seven  miles 
nearly  due  south  of  the  present  Town  of  Toulon,  not  far  from  the 
southern  boundary  of  the  county.  Its  projector  and  pro])rictor  was 
Stephen  Trickle.    Date  of  survej',  April,  18.'}7." 

This  is  the  only  written  account  of  ISIassillon  that  the  writer  has 
been  able  to  find.  It  is  known  that  one  of  the  precincts  of  the  county 
war;  named  "^Massillon,"  from  which  it  may  be  inferred  that  the  town 
Avas  once  a  j)lace  of  some  consequence,  though  it  is  now  nothing  more 
than  a  memorv. 


130  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

MODENA 

Tlie  \"illage  of  JNIodena  is  located  in  the  southeast  quarter  of  sec- 
tion 1,  ill  the  northeastern  part  of  Toulon  Township  and  on  the  west 
bank  of  Spoon  River.  It  was  surveyed  on  IMarch  24,  1853,  for  JNIiles 
A.  and  Williston  K.  Fuller.  The  plat  was  filed  in  July  and  shows 
thirty-one  lots,  with  Main  and  Second  streets  running-  nortli  and  south 
and  Locust  and  Chestnut,  east  and  west.  The  Hour  mill  and  the  coal 
mines  in  the  iiiiniediate  vicinity  were  the  principal  industries  of  early 
days.  A.  Y.  Fuller,  who  was  one  of  the  early  purchasers  of  lots, 
opened  a  general  store,  and  B.  .A.  Newton  also  conducted  a  store 
here  for  some  time.  Mr.  Saiidhaiu  says  the  name  was  suggested  by 
^lodeiia  in  Italy.  A  Baptist  Church  Avas  erected  here  about  1850. 
In  191,5  a  general  store  and  the  public  school  were  the  principal  fea- 
tures of  the  village,  which  reported  a  population  of  3.5  in  1910.  It  is 
on  one  of  the  rural  mail  routes  from  the  postoffice  at  ^Vyoming. 

MORSE 

This  is  one  of  the  new  towns  of  the  county  and  owes  its  existence 
to  the  building  of  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railroad  through  the 
county  in  1901-02.  It  is  located  in  the  extreme  northeast  corner  of 
the  Township  of  Osceola  and  is  only  a  short  distance  east  of  Lombard- 
ville.  No  official  plat  of  the  village  Avas  ever  filed  in  the  office  of 
the  county  recorder,  but  an  atlas  of  the  county,  published  in  1907, 
shows  fourteen  lots — six  north  and  eight  south  of  the  railroad  station. 
Rand  &  McNally  give  the  population  in  1910  as  50.  jNIail  is  delivered 
by  rual  carrier  from  Bradford. 

aiOULTON 

The  extinct  town  of  IMoulton  was  located  near  the  northern  border 
of  Essex  Townshiji,  about  three  miles  west  of  Wyoming,  in  the  Indian 
Creek  Valley.  It  was  surveyed  in  August,  183G,  l»y  Roliert  Schuyler, 
Russell  H.  Nevins.  William  Couch,  David  Lee  and  Abijah  Fisher. 
George  and  AVilliam  Sanimis  had  a  store. on  the  site  at  the  time  the 
town  was  laid  out.  At  one  time  INIoulton  had  aspirations  to  become 
the  county  seat  of  Stark  County,  but  Toulon  won  that  honor  and 
the  close  proximity  of  Wyoming  also  contributed  to  INIoulton's  down- 
fall. A  frame  house  was  erected  there  by  Eugenius  Frum  a  year  or 
two  after  the  town  was  platted,  but  tliis  l)uilding  was  afterAvard  pur- 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  131 

chased  by  Beiijamiii  Turner  and  removed  to  Toulon,  \vliere  it  stood 
until  188G. 

OSCKOI>A 

The  village  of  Osceola  is  situated  in  the  southeast  quarter  of  section 
11,  Elmira  Township,  a  small  portion  of  the  place  extending  south- 
ward into  section  1-i.  The  first  settlers  in  this  part  of  the  county  came 
late  in  the  year  18.'j.5.  Among  them  were  Giles  C.  Dana,  Isaac 
Spencer,  James  Buswell,  Thomas  Watts  and  the  Pratts,  one  of  whom 
was  a  physician.  Mrs.  Shallenherger  saj's:  "They  came  out  under 
the  auspices  of  ^laj.  Robert  ^Sloore,  who  encouraged  emigration 
hither,  with  a  view  to  building  up  a  town,  which  he  had  surveyed  and 
called  Osceola." 

If  such  a  tuwi)  \\as  e\er  surveyed  it  failed  to  become  a  reality, 
though  the  first  settler  named  the  grove  in  which  they  built  their 
cabins  "Osceola  Grove,"  after  the  celebrated  Seminole  Indian  leader 
in  the  Florida  war.  When  the  postof!ice  was  established  there  in 
18.'37  it  was  named  Elmira,  as  already  stated,  and  a  settlement  grew 
up  around  the  postofRce.  After  the  removal  of  the  postoffice  to  the 
present  village  of  Klmira,  the  village  where  it  was  first  established 
took  the  name  of  Osceola.  Being  some  distance  from  a  railroad,  the 
village  has  never  grown  to  any  considerable  proportions,  but  it  forms 
a  trading  point  and  meeting  place  for  the  people  in  the  northeastern 
part  of  Elmira  Township.  The  population  in  1910  was  only  55. 
It  has  a  general  store,  a  Baptist  Church,  a  iNlethodist  Chiu'ch  and 
parsonage,  a  public  school  and  a  few  dwellings,  and  is  on  one  of  the 
rural  mail  routes  fi'om  Neponset,  in  Bureau  County. 

PLEASANT  GIJEEN 

An  old  map  of  Stark  County  shows  the  settlement  of  Pleasant 
Green  near  the  center  of  section  3.3,  Osceola  Townshi]i.  It  was  never 
formally  laid  (jut  as  a  town,  but  a  rural  p(Jstotlice  was  maintained  here 
for  some  time  in  early  days  and  some  coal  was  mined  in  the  vicinity. 
The  district  school  known  as  the  "Pleasant  Green"  school  is  all  that 
is  left  to  tell  the  story. 

PUCKl'.IUtKUSH 

This  is  another  settlement  that  "just  growed."  It  is  located  in 
section  7,  Penn  Township,  a  little  south  of  the  site  of  the  old  village 
of  ^Valden,  and  consists  of  six  lots  along  the  south  side  of  the  higli- 
wav.    Just  how  the  settlement  obtained  its  name  is  uncertain. 


132  HISTOKV  OF  STAKK  COUNTY 

SLACK  AVATER 

Just  east  of  the  Spoon  river,  in  section  33,  Essex  Township,  is 
the  old  viUage  of  Shickwater,  which  at  one  time  was  a  trading  point 
and  neighhorliood  center  of  some  importance.  The  building  of  the 
Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad  and  the  foundhig  of  the  town 
of  Duncan,  only  a  mile  and  half  east  on  the  railroad,  robbed  Slack- 
water  of  its  prestige  and  it  sank  into  insignificance. 

SPEEK 

While  the  Peoria  &  Nelson  branch  of  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern 
Railroad  was  under  construction,  James  A.  Speer,  who  owned  a 
farm  on  the  line  of  the  railroad  in  section  36,  Valley  Township,  con- 
ceived the  idea  of  founding  a  town.  Accordingly,  on  December  5, 
1901,  Henry  H.  Oliver,  county  surveyor,  platted  the  town  of  Speer, 
in  the  northwest  quarter  of  the  above  named  section.  The  original 
])lat  showed  twenty-four  lots  west  of  the  railroad.  Iiut  on  April  1.5, 
1003,  31r.  Oliver  made  a  revised  plat  of  the  original  town  and  Speer's 
first  addition  thereto.  Front  Street  runs  north  and  south  next  to 
the  railroad  and  farther  west  is  jMcKinley  Avenue.  The  streets  run- 
ning east  and  west  are  IMain  and  South,  and  one  not  named  on  the 
plat.  Speer  soon  came  into  prominence  as  a  trading  and  shipj^ing 
})oint  for  the  southeastern  part  of  the  county.  It  reported  a  popula- 
tion of  1.50  in  1910:  has  general  and  hardware  stores,  a  bank,  livery 
barn,  planing  mill,  postofRce,  lumber  yard,  grain  elevators,  and  is  one 
of  the  flourishing  little  towns  of  Stark  County. 

STARK 

Five  miles  east  of  \Vyoming,  on  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  & 
Pacific  Railroad,  is  the  little  village  of  Stark,  which  grcAv  up  soon 
after  the  railroad  was  completed,  but  was  never  officially  platted.  A 
postoffice  was  established  in  the  early  '70s;  Simpson  ds:  Smith  and 
Charles  N.  Hull  opened  general  stores;  Joseph  Anderson  began 
dealing  in  grain  and  drain  tile,  and  a  few  other  business  enterprises 
were  established.  In  1910  the  population  was  7-5.  It  has  a  large 
grain  elevator,  general  stores,  a  Congregational  Church,  etc.,  and 
does  a  good  business  in  shipping  grain  and  livestock.  It  derives  its 
name  from  the  county. 

STARWAXO 

No  plat  of  this  settlement — for  it  can  hardly  be  called  a  town — ■ 
was  ever  recorded.     It  is  located  in  West  Jersey  Township,  near  the 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COLNTY 


133 


eastern  boundary.  A  JNIethodist  Church  was  organized  here  at  an 
early  date  and  is  still  in  existence,  l)ut  the  coiniiicrcial  activity  of  Star- 
waiio  has  departed. 

STRINGTOWN 

In  the  atlas  of  Stark  County,  pul)lished  in  1907,  is  shown  a  thickly 
settled  neighhorhood  in  the  sonthwcstcrn  part  of  Essex  Township 
(sections  30  and  31  )  which  has  long  been  known  as  "Stringtown."  Its 
location  is  almost  identical  with  that  of  the  old  Town  of  ^Nlassillon  pre- 
viously mentioned.  A  church  and  public  school  are  the  only  institu- 
tions worthy  of  note. 

AV.U)Y    I'ETKA 

This  little  town  with  the  oriental  name  was  platted  on  June  2, 
1873,  by  Edwin  Rutler,  then  surveyor  of  Stark  County,  for  "Sirs. 
Anna  K.  Chase.  It  is  located  on  the  Chicago.  Rock  Island  &  Pacific 
Railroad,  in  section  31.  Valley  Township,  only  about  one  mile  east 
of  the  ^"illage  of  Stark.  Front  Street  runs  parallel  to  the  railroad 
and  a  square  farther  east  is  Chase  Street.  The  north  and  south  streets 
are  ]Main  and  Hamilton.  The  original  plat  shows  fifty-five  lots. 
Wady  Petra  is  a  typical  little  railroad  station,  with  the  usual  local 
business  enterprises.  In  1910  the  population  was  given  as  forty-five. 
INlail  is  delivered  by  rural  carrier  from  the  postofl^ce  at  Stark. 

AVAI,DEN 

The  old  Town  of  Walden  was  situated  in  the  nortii  side  of  section 
7,  Penn  Township,  just  across  the  Spoon  River  from  Modena.  It 
is  said  to  have  taken  its  name  from  Dexter  Wall,  and  was  sometimes 
M-ritten  "Wallden."  JMr.  Wall  built  a  steam  mill  there  at  an  early 
date  and  a  general  store  was  opened,  but  the  name  of  the  pioneer 
niei'cliant  has  apparently  been  i'orgotten.  "Wall's  Schoolhouse," 
which  stood  not  far  from  the  mill,  was  a  favorite  place  for  holding 
religious  services  by  ministers  of  different  denonn'nations.  In  time 
^Ir.  Wall  removed  his  mill  to  Wyoming  and  the  Town  of  Walden 
disajjpeared  from  the  map. 

"O'EST    JERSEY 

Karly  in  the  year  18.56  Jacob  ^'oung  employed  Carson  Berfield, 
wlio  Iiad  previously  served  as  county   surveyor,  to   lay   off  a   town 


134  HISTOKV  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

almost  in  the  exact  geographical  center  of  West  Jersey  Township, 
which  town  was  named  West  Jersey.  Seminary  and  Jersey  streets 
and  Plum  Alley  are  shown  on  the  original  plat  as  the  thoroughfares. 
The  plat  was  filed  for  record  on  February  19,  1850,  and  ten  years 
later  only  twenty-four  lots  had  been  sold.  Dm-ing  the  next  twenty 
years  the  growth  was  "slow  but  sure,"  and  in  188G  about  seventy  lots 
had  been  sold.  Among  the  early  industries  and  business  houses  of 
West  Jersey  may  be  mentioned  Snediker's  mill,  John  Catton's  coal 
mines,  Giwitts  &  Son's  planing  mill.  ^V.  II.  IJttle's  harness  shop, 
\Villiam  Atkinson's  blacksmith  shop  and  W.  II.  Jolinsons  store. 
The  ^Methodist  Church  was  built  about  1860.  A  postoffice  was  estab- 
lished here  before  the  Civil  war,  but  it  has  been  discontinued  and 
mail  is  now  addressed  to  Toulon  and  delivered  by  rural  carrier.  \Vest 
Jersey  has  a  public  school  building,  a  church,  general  stores,  some 
smaller  business  concerns,  a  hall  for  pul)lic  entertainments,  and  in 
11)10  reported  a  population  of  seventy. 

POSTOFFICES 

With  the  introduction  of  the  free  rural  delivery  system,  several 
of  the  postoffices  of  Stark  County  were  discontinued.  The  United 
States  Postal  Guide  for  July,  191.5,  gives  the  following  offices  in  the 
county,  the  figiu'cs  in  parentheses  following  the  name  indicating  the 
number  of  rural  mail  routes:  Bradford  (.5)  ;  Castleton,  Dimcan, 
Lafayette  (2)  ;  Speer  (1)  ;  Stark  (1)  ;  Toulon  (.5)  ;  Wyoming  (4). 
Everj'  office  in  the  county  is  authorized  to  issue  money  orders.  Those 
at  Bradford,  Toulon  and  Wyoming  issue  international  money  orders 
and  are  postal  savings  depositories. 


CHAPTER  IX 
:Mn.lTARY  HISTORY 

WAR  or  1812 BLACK  HAAVK  WAR MAR  WITH  ilEXICO WAR  OF  18G1- 

"0.5 CONDITIONS  LEADING  UP  TO  THE  WAR THE  SLAVERY  QUESTION 

COMPROMISE    LEGISLATION KANSAS-NEBRASKA    BILL POLITICAL 

CAMPAIGN  OF  1860 SECESSION  OF  THE  SLAVE  STATES FALL  OF  FORT 

SUMTER CALL  FOR  VOLUNTEERS AVAR  JIEETING  AT  TOULON ILLI- 
NOIS'   RESPONSE— EARLY    ENLISTMENTS BRIEF    HISTORIES    OF    THE 

REGIMENTS  IN   WHICH   STARK   COUNTY   AVAS  REPRESENTED — ROSTER 
OF  STARK  COUNTY  COMPANIES — MISCELLANEOUS  INFANTRY  ENLIST- 

^IE>;-fS CAA'ALRY     SERVICE ARTILLERY SOLDIERS'     :\IONU5IENT 

THE  AAORK  AT  HOME. 

At  the  time  of  the  War  of  1812  there  was  not  a  single  Avhite  man 
living  within  the  present  borders  of  Stark  County.  As  previously 
mentioned,  the  United  States  Government,  soon  after  the  close  of 
that  war,  set  apart  a  large  tract  of  land  in  Illinois,  including  the 
present  County  of  Stark,  to  be  given  to  those  who  had  served  as 
volunteers  during  the  Avar.  A  few  veterans  of  the  War  of  1812 
afterward  became  residents  of  the  county,  though  the  most  of  them 
sold  their  land  Avarrants  to  speculators  for  a  small  pittance.  In  the 
fall  of  1800  a  meeting  of  old  soldiers  of  1812  Avas  held  at  Toulon,  at 
Avhich  probably  a  dozen  Avere  ji resent. 

In  the  Black  HaAvk  Avar  of  1832  the  name  of  Thomas  Essex  ap- 
pears upon  one  of  the  muster  rolls — the  only  one  from  Stark  County — 
thouiih  the  countA'  Avas  not  then  organized  and  there  Avere  but  feAv 
Avhite  men  living  Avithin  its  limits. 

On  INIarch  1,  184'.j.  Congress  passed  a  bill  to  annex  the  Re])ublic 
of  Texas  to  the  I'^nited  States.  This  lirought  on  a  Avar  Avith  ^Mexico, 
Avhich  countiy  claimed  Texas,  and  Gen.  Zachary  Taylor  Avas  sent 
Avith  the  "Army  of  Occupation"  to  hold  the  territory  until  the  bound- 
ary question  could  be  settled.  Taylor  fought  the  ])attles  of  Palo  Alto 
and  Resaca  de  la  Palma.  defeating  the  Mexicans  in  both  engage- 
ments, and  on  ]May  11.  1840,  tAvo  days  after  the  battle  of  Resaca  de 

135 


136  HISTORY  OF  STxVRK  COUNTY 

la  I'alnia,  Congress  declared  that  "war  already  exists  by  act  of  the 
JNlexican  government,"  jjlaced  a  fund  of  -$10,000,000  at  the  disposal 
of  the  administration,  and  authorized  the  President  to  accept  the 
services  of  50,000  volunteers. 

^Vithin  a  few  days  Illinois  offered  the  President  8,370  men,  but 
only  3,7-0  were  accepted.  These  men  formed  the  tirst  six  regiments 
of  Illinois  Infantry.  A  few  Stark  County  men  were  included  in  the 
enlistments,  but  in  the  absence  of  nmster  rolls  it  is  impossible  to  give 
their  names. 

THE   W.VK   OF   1861-05 

Soon  after  the  establishment  of  the  American  Republic,  the  slav- 
ery question  became  a  "bone  of  contention"  that  was  gnawed  at  by 
jDoliticians  for  years  in  nearly  every  campaign.  In  1808,  the  earliest 
date  at  which  legislation  on  the  subject  could  be  constitutionally  en- 
acted. Congress  passed  a  law  abolishing  the  foreign  slave  trade.  By 
1819  seven  of  the  tliirteen  original  states  had  abolished  slavery.  Ken- 
tucky, Tennessee,  Louisiana,  ^Mississippi  and  Alabama  had  been 
athnitted  to  the  Union  as  slave  states,  and  Vermont.  Ohio,  Indiana 
and  Illinois  as  free  states,  making  eleven  of  each.  This  was  the  situa- 
tion in  1820,  when  the  people  of  JNIissouri  asked  for  admission.  After 
a  long  and  somewhat  acrimonious  debate,  that  state  was  admitted 
under  the  i)rovisions  of  the  act  known  as  the  "^lissouri  Compromise," 
which  agreed  to  the  admission  of  3Iissouri  without  any  restrictions  as 
to  slavery,  but  expressly  stipulated  that  in  all  the  remaining  portion 
of  the  Louisiana  Purchase  north  of  the  line  marking  the  latitude  of 
36°  30'  slavery  shoidd  be  forever  i)rohibited. 

The  ^Mexican  war  gave  to  the  United  States  a  large  territory,  to 
wliicli  the  advocates  of  slaveiy  laid  claim.  According  to  the  views  of 
the  opponents  of  slavery,  the  "Omnibus  Bill,"  or  Compromise  of 
1850,  was  a  violation  of  the  terms  of  the  ^Missouri  Compromise,  in 
that  it  sought  to  extend  slavery  north  of  the  line  of  36'  30'.  The 
Kansas-Xebraska  Bill  of  1854  added  fresh  fuel  to  the  already  raging 
flames.  The  passage  of  this  bill  was  one  of  the  principal  causes  that 
led  to  the  organization  of  the  republican  party,  Avhich  opjiosed  the 
extension  of  slavery  beyond  the  territory  where  it  already  existed. 

In  the  political  campaign  of  1860  some  of  the  southern  states 
announced  their  intention  of  withdrawing  from  the  Union  in  the  event 
of  Abraham  Lincoln's  election  to  the  presidency.  The  people  of  the 
Xorth  regarded  these  declarations  as  idle  threats,  made  solely  for 
political  effect.     Through  a  division  in  the  democratic  ])arty.  Mr.  Lin- 


SOLDIERS"  AX  I)  S  \II.01!S-  MOXr^IKXT.  TOT'T.OX" 


f-IBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 

URBANA 


HISTORY   OF  STARK  COUNTY  137 

coin  was  elected  and  on  December  20,  1860,  South  Carolina  proceeded 
to  carry  out  her  threat  to  withdraw,  a  convention  of  delegates,  chosen 
for  the  purpose,  passing  an  ordinance  of  secession,  declaring  that  all 
allegiance  to  the  United  States  was  at  an  end.  IMississippi  followed 
with  a  similar  ordinance  on  January  9,  18G1;  Florida,  .January  10th; 
Georgia,  January  19th;  Louisiana,  January  26th,  and  Texas,  Febru- 
ary 1,  1861.  On  February  4,  1861,  delegates  from  six  of  these  states 
(Texas  was  not  represented)  met  at  Montgomery,  Alabama,  adopted 
a  i)rovisional  constitution,  elected  Jefferson  Davis,  of  Mississippi, 
provisional  president,  and  Alexander  H.  Stephens,  of  Georgia,  pro- 
visional vice  president  of  the  "Confederate  States  of  America."  Davis 
and  Stephens  were  inaugurated  on  1^'ebruary  22,  1861,  the  anniversary 
of  tiie  birth  of  George  ^Vashington. 

Hence  it  was  that  when  ^Ir.  Lincoln  was  inaugurated  on  iVIarch 
4,  1861,  he  found  seven  states,  with  an  organized  government,  in  open 
opposition  to  his  administration.  Notwithstanding  this  serious  con- 
dition of  affairs,  the  President,  his  inniiediate  advisers  and  the  people 
of  tlie  North  generally,  entertained  the  hope  tliat  the  situation  could 
be  met  without  an  open  rupture  between  the  North  and  South,  and 
that  the  citizens  of  the  seceded  states  could  be  persuaded  to  return  to 
their  allegiance.     Vain  hope! 

About  the  beginning  of  the  year  1861,  Maj.  Robert  Anderson, 
who  was  in  connnand  of  all  the  defenses  of  the  harbor  at  Charleston, 
South  Carolina,  decided  that  Fort  Sumter  offered  a  better  oppor- 
tunity for  defense  than  Fort  Moultrie,  where  he  and  his  garrison 
were  stationed.  Secretly  removing  his  stores  and  men,  he  ordered 
the  guns  at  Fort  INIoultrie  to  be  spiked,  rendering  them  unlit  for 
ser\ice.  JNIajor  Anderson's  action  immediately  raised  a  storm  of 
protest  from  the  secessionists.  They  claimed  that  the  removal  to  Fort 
Sumter  was  a  violation  of  an  agreement  made  with  President 
Buchanan.  Lincoln's  predecessor.  On  the  other  hand  the  people  of 
the  North  upheld  Anderson  and  the  northern  press  was  almost  a  unit 
in  demanding  that  additional  supplies  be  sent  to  Anderson,  and  tliat 
he  be  given  a  force  sufficient  to  hold  the  fort.  President  Buchanan 
was  still  in  office,  and  not  liking  to  invoke  too  much  criticism  from 
the  loyal  North,  he  sent  the  steamer  Star  of  the  West,  with  2.50  men 
and  a  stock  of  ])rovisions,  mmiitions  of  war,  etc.,  to  Fort  Sumter.  On 
January  9.  1861.  as  tlie  vessel  was  passing  iMorris  Island,  she  was 
fii-ed  upon  by  a  masked  battery  and  forced  to  turn  back.  This  inci- 
dent is  regarded  in  the  official  records  as  the  beginning  of  the  Civil 
Mai-,  thougli  the  popular  awakening  did  not  come  until  about  three 
months  later. 


138  lUSTORV  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

Early  in  A])i-il,  18G1,  General  Beanregard,  who  was  in  command 
of  the  Confederate  forces  at  Charleston,  opened  negotiations  A\ith 
Major  Anderson  looking  to  the  evacuation  of  Fort  Sumter.  Ander- 
son's provisions  were  running  low  and  on  April  11,  1861,  he  advised 
General  Beauregard  that  the  fort  would  he  vacated  on  the  1.5th,  uidess 
orders  were  received  from  the  war  department  to  remain  and  the 
needed  sui^ijlies  were  sent  to  the  garrison.  This  answer  was  not 
satisfactory  to  Beauregard,  who  feared  that  Anderson  might  be  rein- 
forced before  that  time.  He  therefore  sent  back  the  reply,  at  3:20 
A.  ]\L  on  Friday,  April  12,  1861,  that  within  an  hour  fire  would  be 
opened  upon  the  fort.  At  4:30  Capt.  (ieorge  Janes,  commanding  a 
battery  at  Forf  Johnson,  fired  the  signal  gun  and  the  shell  l)urst 
almost  directly  over  the  fort.  A  few  moments  later  a  solid  shot 
from  a  liattery  on  Cummings  Point  went  crashing  against  the  walls 
of  Fort  Sumter.    The  war  had  begun. 

The  garrison  responded  promptly  and  the  cannonading  continued 
throughout  the  day.  Fire  broke  out  in  one  of  the  casemates  of  the 
fort,  which  was  observed  by  the  Confederates,  who  increased  their 
fire,  hoping  to  force  a  surrender.  Anderson  held  out  against  des- 
perate odds  until  Sunday  morning,  when  he  was  permitted  to  leave 
the  fort  with  honors  of  war,  even  saluting  his  flag  with  fifty  guns 
l)ef'ore  hauling  it  down. 

■When  the  telegraph  flashed  the  news  of  Sumter's  sin-render 
through  the  North,  all  hope  of  conciliation  was  abandoned.  Political 
differences  of  the  past  were  forgotton  in  the  insult  to  the  flag,  and 
there  was  but  one  sentiment:  "The  Union  must  and  shall  be  jn-e- 
served."  On  INIonday,  April  lo,  1861,  President  Lincoln  issued  a 
proclamation  calling  for  7.5,000  militia  and  appealing  to  "all  loyal 
citizens  for  state  aid  in  this  effort  to  maintain  the  laws,  integrity, 
national  union,  perpetuity  of  popular  government,  and  to  redress 
wrongs  long  enough  endured." 

"WAR   MEETING 

The  first  war  meeting  in  Stark  County  was  held  at  Toulon  on 
INIonday  evening,  April  15, 1861,  the  very  day  that  the  President  issued 
his  call  for  75.000  volunteers.  Judge  Elihu  N.  Powell  presided  and 
James  A.  Henderson  was  chosen  secretary.  George  A.  Clifford, 
Dr.  William  Chamberlain,  J.  H.  Howe,  Levi  North,  Alexander  ^Ic- 
Coy  and  Thomas  J.  Henderson  all  made  short  addresses  urging  the 
necessity  for  united  action  in  support  of  the  national  administration. 
Among  the  resolutions — unanimously  adojited — was  the  following: 


IIISTOUV  OF  STARK  COUNTY  "'J 

"That  in  the  present  crisis  ol'  our  country,  we  will  ij-nore  all  uure 
l^arty  considerations  and  uphold  the  administration  in  enforcing  the 
laws  North  and  South,  and  in  putting  down  rebellion  wherever  it  may 
arise.  And  to  that  end  we  invoke  the  entire  power  of  the  Govern- 
ment, and  we  hereby  adopt  as  our  motto  those  memorable  words 
uttered  long  since  by  a  patriot  now  in  his  grave:  'Liberty  and  Union 
now  an<l  forever,  one  and  inseparable.'  " 

Illinois'  kksi'oxse 

Wiieii  the  war  commenced  the  prevailing  opinion  throughout  the 
North  was  that  it  would  be  of  short  duration — a  mere  "breakfast 
s])ell."  That  this  view  was  entertained  by  the  President  is  seen  in  his 
first  call  for  only  T.j.OOO  troops,  which  he  thought  would  be  sufficient 
to  suppress  the  rebellion.  Before  the  conclusion  of  the  conflict  ()\'er 
two  million  loj^al  citizens  of  the  North  had  been  called  into  military 
service.  Illinois  prom])tly  responded  to  each  call  for  volunteers  and 
during  the  war  furnished  18.5,l»41  infantry,  ;J2.()82  cavalry,  and  7,277 
artillery,  a  grand  total  (not  including  reenlistments)  of  22.), 800  men. 
Stark  County  was  represented  in  thirty-six  infantry  regiments,  five 
cavalry  regiments,  and  the  Second  Light  Artillery.  Having  fur- 
nished six  regiments  of  infantry  in  the  ^lexican  war,  the  first  regi- 
ment that  went  out  from  Illinois  in  1801  was  the 

SEVENTH    IXFAXTRY 

This  regiment  was  mustered  in  at  Camp  Yates  on  April  2.5,  18()1, 
for  three  months  service,  during  which  time  it  was  on  guard  duty  at 
Alton,  Cairo,  St.  Louis  and  other  points.  It  was  reorganized  for  the 
three  years'  service  on  July  2.3,  18r>l.  Early  hi  18(52  it  joined  the 
army  under  Gen.  U.  S.  Grant,  took  part  in  the  capture  of  Fort 
Donelson  and  the  battle  of  Shiloh,  after  which  it  continued  in  service 
in  Mississippi  and  Tennessee.  It  was  veteranized  in  December,  18(5.'3, 
and  in  Company  B  of  the  Veteran  Seventh  the  following  men  were 
credited  to  Stark  County:  Hugh  J.  Cosgrove,  ca])tain;  George  II. 
31ai'tin,  first  lieutenant;  Andrew  Nelson  and  Isaiah  V.  Bates,  ser- 
geants; Alexander  Headley  and  Henry  Stauffer,  corporals. 

Privates — Heiny  II.  Ballentine,  Jacob  Bogard,  Oliver  Boggs, 
Willis  Burgess,  Silas  Cha])pell.  Thomas  II.  Crowe,  .rf)hn  Dawson, 
Thomas  Dawson,  John  Ditman,  Henry  Duckworth,  Thomas  Fal- 
coner, John  L.  Foulk,  John  Garvin,  Jasper  Graves,  ^Villiam  W. 


14U  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COLXTY 

Isenberg,  James  L.  Jarman,  John  ^lartiii,  John  Otto,  Patrick  Plill- 
Ih'II.  FraiikHn  Pratt.  Timothy  liatclift',  Henry  Rouse,  John  Rouse, 
William  Shipley,  ^lason  Stauli'er,  Jotham  K.  Taylor,  vStephen  Tim- 
mons,  Edward  H.  Trickle,  David  White,  Henry  H.  Witcher,  Ben- 
jamin Witter  and  William  Zumwalt.  The  regiment  was  mustered  out 
at  Louisville,  Kentucky.  July  0.  1865. 

EARLY    ENLISTMENTS 

In  several  of  the  first  regiments  that  went  out  from  the  state  there 
were  one  or  more  Stark  County  men.  Henry  Speers  A\as  a  recruit 
in  Company  C,  Eleventh  Infantry;  Thomas  Carroll  was  a  private 
in  Company  H,  Twelfth  Infantry,  until  wounded  and  discharged  in 
August,  1862;  jNIichael  Casey,  Thomas  Doyle,  James  IMaloney  and 
Frank  Williamson  were  enrolled  in  Conqjany  C,  Fourteenth  Infantry; 
in  the  same  regiment  Thomas  J.  ^larshall  and  John  Xorris  served  in 
Company  E;  Livingston  Sharrach,  Company  G;  and  Samuel  A. 
Patten  was  a  corporal  in  Company  H ;  Thomas  D.  Bonar  and  David 
^V.  Snyder  enlisted  as  privates  in  Company  D,  Seventeenth  Infantry, 
in  May.  1861;  and  in  Company  F.  Fjighteenth  Infantry,  were  George 
W.  Bowers,  Charles  McLaughlin,  John  Gladden  and  John  P.  Smith. 

NINETEENTH    INFANTRY 

Not  until  the  organization  of  the  X'ineteenth  Infantry,  in  June, 
1861,  was  Stark  County  enabled  to  furnish  a  full  company  for  the 
\()lunteer  service.  Before  the  President  issued  his  first  call  for  troops, 
Capt.  Charles  Stuart  had  commenced  the  formation  of  a  comjiany 
called  die  "Elmira  RiHes."  This  company  was  mustered  in  as  Com- 
])auy  B,  Xineteentli  Infantry,  which  regiment  was  commanded  by 
Col.  John  B.  Turchin.  At  the  time  of  the  muster  in  it  was  officered 
as  follows: 

Captain,  Charles  Stuart;  first  lieutenant,  Stephen  W.  Hill;  sec- 
ond lieutenant,  Alexander  ]Murchison.  Captain  Stuart  resigned  on 
Juh'  15,  1862,  and  Lieutenant  JNIurchison  was  promoted  to  the  com- 
mand of  the  company.  Lieutenant  Hill  having  resigned  in  X^o\  em- 
ber, 1861. 

Sergeants — John  S.  Pashley,  William  Jackson  (promoted  first 
lieutenant),  John  H.  Hunter  (promoted  second  lieutenant),  James 
G.  Boardman,  James  INIontooth. 

Corporals — James  Jackson,  Charles  H.  Brace.  Robert  A.  Turn- 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  141 

bull,  Joseph  Rlanchard,  John  G.  Laniper,  Thomas  Robinson,  Joliii  T. 
Thornton  (promoted  second  lieutenant),  George  B.  Hutchinson. 

Isaiah  Y.  Bates  and  Isaac  M.  Spencer  enlisted  as  musicians,  and 
John  Douglas  was  the  company's  wagoner. 

Privates — John  Q.  xVdams,  Uavid  W.  Aldrich,  Dax-id  Allen, 
James  Atherton,  Isaac  Bannister,  John  Blackburn.  Charles  Black- 
well,  Frederick  P.  Bloom,  Lenuiel  U.  Bullis,  John  Bourke,  Henry 
Burrows.  William  A.  Cade,  Owen  Carlin.  Julius  A.  Case,  DeForest 
Chamberlain.  James  Cinnamon,  ^Vsa  Clark,  Walter  Clark,  George 
Comstock,  Adrian  Coon,  Urban  Coon,  I^ewis  Corsan,  Aaron  T. 
Courier,  Francis  Crowden,  George  Crowden.  Ileiny  F.  Uavison, 
AVilliam  Douglas,  Leonard  C.  Drawyer.  Henry  Drury,  George  Du- 
gan,  Edward  Ervin.  Adam  G.  Fell,  Robert  Fell,  William  H.  Flem- 
ming,  Philip  A.  Galley,  Springer  Galley,  Reuben  Gardiner,  Charles 
(Jreenfield,  Wesley  Hall,  Chester  P.  Harsh,  Leonard  D.  Henderson, 
Frank  Ilorrigan.  James  Hutchins,  Alfred  S.  Hurment,  James  O. 
Imcs.  John  Imcs.  Martin  Imes,  ^Villiam  Imes.  William  Ingles.  David 
Jackson,  William  Johnson,  Edward  M.  Jordan.  \N'illard  Jordan, 
Arnold  Kempion,  John  I^.  Kennedy.  Isaac  Kenyon.  John  M.  Lamper, 
Joseph  M.  Leacox,  Charles  N.  Leeson,  Madison  Linsley,  Alonzo 
IjUcc.  John  ]McConchie.  John  McShcrry.  Jose})h  C.  Meigs.  James 
JMeri'ill.  Samuel  Montooth.  Daniel  J.  Moon,  Columbus  ^lorgan.  Com- 
fort Morgan,  Cornelius  ^Morgan,  William  X.  Nelson,  William  H. 
Newcomer,  Thomas  AV.  Oziah,  Joseph  X.  Park,  George  P.  Richer, 
George  N.  Ryerson,  Robert  T.  Scott,  (ieoi-ge  T.  Sharrer.  Heni'v  C. 
Shull,  John  ().  S])aidding.  (ieorge  II.  Stone.  Albert  Terwilliger.  Eli- 
jah N.  Terwilliger.  James  (i.  Turnbull,  Thomas  TurnbuU.  Amos 
Yinson,  Edwin  D.  Way.  John  Webber,  Fred  H.  Whitaker,  Lewis 
Williams,  Henry  B.  Worth. 

On  the  r2th  of  July  the  regiment  was  ordered  to  Quincy.  where 
it  arrived  the  next  day,  and  was  immediately  sent  to  the  line  of  the 
Hannibal  &  St.  Joseph  llailroad  in  Missouri.  It  was  next  sent  to  St. 
Ijouis.  where  it  remained  for  a  few  weeks,  when  it  joined  General 
Buelfs  Army  of  the  Ohio  in  Tennessee.  After  seeing  the  Nineteenth 
drill,  GeTieral  Buell  ])ronounced  it  the  best  drilled  regiment  he  bad 
seen  and  assigned  COionel  Turchin  to  the  command  ol'  the  Eighth 
Brigade,  Third  Division,  Army  of  the  Ohio.  The  regiment  was 
actively  engaged  in  the  second  day's  battle  at  Shilob:  took  i)art  in 
the  battle  of  Perry ville.  Ky. ;  formed  part  of  General  Negley's 
division  in  the  battle  of  Chickamauga,  and  took  part  in  the  military 
ojjerations  around  Chattanooga   in  the  fall   of  180.'}.   especially   the 


142  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

engagement  at  Missionary  Ridge.  In  the  spring  of  1864  it  joined 
the  army  commanded  by  Gen.  W.  T.  Sherman  for  the  Atlanta  cam- 
paign and  took  jjart  in  several  engagements  before  it  was  mustered 
outon  July  9,  18t)4. 

THIRTY-THIRD    IXFAXTRY 

The  next  regiment  in  which  Stark  County  was  represented  by  any 
considerable  number  of  men  was  the  Thirty-third,  in  which  a  large 
])art  of  Company  B  came  from  little  old  Stark.  Of  that  company 
C.  Judson  Gill  was  mustered  in  as  first  lieutenant  and  promoted  to 
captain  in  January.  1803.  Xelson  G.  Gill,  who  Avas  mustered  in  as  a 
sergeant  was  promoted  to  first  lieutenant,  and  Walter  T.  Hall,  who 
entered  the  service  as  a  corporal,  was  promoted  to  sergeant. 

Privates — Jesse  Armstrong,  William  Biggs,  Xewton  G.  B.  Brow  n 
(promoted  second  lieutenant),  Calvin  Butler,  George  Dewey,  Daniel 
Donovan,  Otis  T.  Dyer.  Harrison  W.  Ellis.  Levi^  T.  Elli.s,  Walter 
A.  Fell,  George  Fezler,  Alvin  Galley,  Hugh  Y.  Godfrey,  Charles 
Green  (transferred  to  the  regimental  band),  Charles  C.  Hotchkiss. 
^Murray  Hotchkiss,  Edward  H.  Ingraham,  Charles  S.  Johnson, 
George  A.  Lowman  (transferred  to  regimental  l)andK  Andrew  Mc- 
Kee.  William  J.  R.  ^Nlayo,  Thomas  ^y.  Rule.  Charles  Shinn,  John 
H.  Stickney,  Sanford  Strowbridge,  Lewis  Thomas,  Andrew  Turnbull. 

John  Peterson  and  Adam  Rush  served  in  Company  K  of  the 
Thirty-third,  which  was  mustered  into  the  United  States  service  in 
August.  1861.  It  served  in  ^Missouri  and  Arkansas  until  the  spring  of 
1863,  when  it  was  ordered  to  join  General  Grant's  army  for  the  siege 
of  Vicksburg.  The  regiment  was  in  action  at  Champion's  Hill,  Port 
Gibson  and  the  Black  River  Bi-idge.  After  the  surrender  of  Yicks- 
burg  it  took  part  in  the  battle  of  Jackson.  ^liss.  In  August, 
1863.  it  was  assigned  to  the  Thirteenth  Corps  and  ordered  to  Eoui- 
siana.  Its  last  active  military  service  was  in  the  movement  against 
jNIobiie  in  the  sjjring  of  186.5.  and  on  Xovember  24,  186.?.  it  was 
mustered  out. 

THIRTY-SEVENTH    IXFAXTRY* 

About  the  time  the  comi)any  known  as  the  Elmira  RiHes  was 
organized,  the  patriotic  people  of  Goshen  Township  organized  the 
"Fafavette  Rifles,"  under  command  of  Ca})t.  Charles  V.  Dickinson. 
The  comi)any  entered  the  service  as  Company  B.  Thirty-seventh  In- 
fantry, with  Charles  V.  Dickinson  as  captain:  Cassimir  P.  Jackson, 
first  lieutenant:  Francis  A.  Jones,  second  lieutenant;  David  L.  Ash, 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  143 

William  X.  Perry  and  Fayette  Lacey,  sergeants;  Oliver  S.  Risdon, 
Thomas  J.  ]Mel3aniel,  Luman  P.  Ilimes,  Chillon  R.  Redtield,  Joshua 
S.  Dudley,  James  S.  Lundy.  John  A.  Perry  and  William  Nieholson, 
corporals:  and  George  Ransom,  musician.  Lieutenant  Jackson  re- 
signed on  July  1>,  18<>2,  and  Lieutenant  Jones  was  promoted  to  the 
vacancy,  Sergeant  Ash  being  made  second  lieutenant.  Corporals  Ris- 
don ami  McDaniel  were  promoted  sergeants,  and  Corporal  Himes  rose 
to  the  rank  of  first  lieutenant. 

Privates — Andrew  Anderson,  John  Anderson,  xVaron  S.  Anshutz, 
David  Anshutz.  William  W.  Atkins,  Joseph  Rarlow,  William  H. 
Barney,  Alva  W.  Brown,  Emery  S.  BufFum,  John  W.  Buffum.  John 
Charleson.  Lucius  Church.  William  H.  Craig,  Henry  B.  Dexter, 
William  T.  Dickinson.  Fldridge  B.  DriscoU.  John  A.  Eddy,  ^Michael 
M.  Emery,  Luther  Fitch,  Martin  Fitch,  Cummings  Force,  JNIatthew 
T.  Godfrey,  Nelson  Grant,  N.  G.  Hilliard,  Charles  F.  Himes,  George 
H.  Hurd,  W.  H.  Hurd,  Thomas  Hughes,  Norman  Ives,  Moses  S. 
Jones.  Julius  Kelsey.  Alvin  Kiem,  Daniel  Kiem.  Anthony  Kennard, 
Thomas  R.  Lake.  Dennis  Lee.  James  E.  Lee,  Samuel  Lemoine,  Dan- 
iel Lundy,  Chauncey  R.  ]Miner,  Benjamin  H.  JMorgan,  Ira  Newton, 
Joseph  H.  NeAvton,  William  J.  Noran,  David  Nowlan,  Edward  Per- 
kins. \Villiam  J.  Pilgrim,  John  Reed,  Robert  C.  Reed.  George  W. 
Rouse.  Hartford  J.  Rowe.  John  Sackrisson.  Henry  Sipe.  David  W. 
Snyder,  Henry  W.  Wilbur.  ]Martin  \Vilcox,  Samuel  W.  Young. 

The  Thirty-seventh  was  mustered  in  at  Chicago  early  in  Septem- 
ber. 1861,  and  soon  afterward  was  ordered  to  Arkansas.  In  January. 
1802.  it  was  in  the  battle  of  Pea  Ridge,  after  which  it  was  engaged  at 
Fayetteville,  Newtonia  and  Prairie  Grove.  During  the  remainder  of 
its  service  it  was  in  a  number  of  battles  and  skirmishes  and  was  mus- 
tered out  in  May.  18(16. 

FOKTY-SECOXn    IXFAXTRY 

Fourteen  Stark  County  men  served  in  this  regiment,  to  wit :  Hcniy 
Boyle.  Company  B ;  James  Hall,  Frank  Horn,  Robert  jNIiller  and 
John  W.  Shoemaker,  Company  D;  Cyrenus  Dewey.  Case  D.  Dubois, 
Sanuiel  P.  Hankins  and  Amos  Hodges,  Com|)any  F;  Silas  Avery, 
Mordecai  Bevier,  Joseph  G.  Fowler,  Springer  Galley  and  Thomas 
W.  Oziah,  Company  K. 

The  regiment  was  mustered  in  at  Chicago  in  Sejitember,  1861; 
served  in  ]Missouri  and  Kansas  until  the  spring  of  18()2;  was  then  in 
Mississippi  for  a  short  time;  took  part  in  the  engagements  at  Stone's 


144  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

River,  on  the  Tullahoma  cami)ai^n,  Chickaniauga  and  Missionary 
Ridge;  was  with  Sherman  in  the  Athnita  campaign  of  1864  and  par- 
ticipated in  a  number  of  the  actions  incident  to  that  movement,  in- 
cliuhng  the  charge  at  Ivenesaw  JMountain,  Peaclitree  Creek  and 
Atlanta.  In  September,  1864,  it  was  ordered  to  New  Orleans  and 
served  in  the  Department  of  the  Gulf  until  mustered  out  on  January 
10,   1866. 

FORTY-SEVENTH    INFANTRY 

Stark  County  Avas  well  represented  in  this  regiment,  having  a  few 
men  in  each  of  Companies  A  and  D,  and  Company  K  was  organized 
in  the  county.  Charles  S.  Blood,  who  went  out  as  a  sergeant  in  Com- 
pany A,  was  promoted  to  second  lieutenant,  and  Benjamin  Anient 
and  Benjamin  F.  Ellis  served  as  privates  in  the  company.  In  Com- 
pany D  were  the  following  jirivates:  Nathaniel  Childs,  Alliert  G. 
Conley,  William  Crow,  Robert  Davidson,  Perry  Kent,  William  R. 
Kiger,  John  ]\lcKinnon,  Robert  S.  ]Martin,  James  Richart,  Allen  H. 
Spellman,  William  ^V.  Stewart.  Alva  W.  Sturdevant,  Abraham  A"an- 
dusen.  James  Drummond  was  a  i)rivate  in  Company  H,  being  the 
only  Stark  County  man  in  that  company. 

The  officers  of  Company  K  at  the  time  of  muster  in  were  as  fol- 
lows: Jacob  Jamison,  captain;  David  DeWolf,  first  lieutenant  (pro- 
moted ca2)tain)  ;  James  A.  Henderson,  second  lieutenant.  Sergeants — 
John  ]M.  Brown  (promoted  captain),  William  H.  Denchtield  (jiro- 
moted  first  lieutenant)  ;  Elisha  Dixon,  Philip  A.  Templeton,  Charles 
Butler.  Corporals — Adam  Torrance,  Charles  D.  Paul,  Joseph  W. 
Jamison,  Henry  Dixon,  D.  W.  Davis,  Henry  Hixon,  Charles  Ed- 
munds.    Wagoner — John  H.  Waller. 

Privates — James  Alderman,  Henry  Allen,  John  Barler,  Benja- 
min Blackburn,  Hiram  Boardman,  Wilson  Boggs,  Allen  Chaffee, 
George  A.  Clifford,  ^Nliles  Colwell,  Ross  Colwell,  Amos  Cornish, 
Thomas  Cross,  William  Cross,  Oliver  Crowder,  William  Dailey,  Joel 
Dixon,  William  Dixon,  Jasper  Doleson,  Carson  W.  Drummond, 
Socrates  Drummond,  John  D.  Eby,  Sanmel  Ebv,  Lewis  Egbert, 
George  W.  Ellis,  Andrew  Eutzler,  Daniel  Fast,  Robert  Garner,  ^ 
Charles  Goodrich,  George  Hachtel,  John  Hawks  (promoted  second 
lieutenant),  Oscar  G.  Hixon,  Charles  S.  Hitchcock,  Daniel  Howard, 
John  Hum,  Jacob  Hutchinson,  William  Jamison,  James  W.  Jarna- 
gin,  James  Kinkade,  Robert  Lambert,  Daniel  ]McCrady,  Theodore 
W.  ]\IcDaniel,  James  T.  ^Marshall,  George  H.  Martin,  Thomas 
Nichols,  David  Oziah,  George  F.  Pyles,  Robert  Pyles,  Edward  Som- 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  145 

mers,  Sylvester  Sylcott,  John  E.  Tlirall  Barton  Tlmi-ston,  Jesse 
West,  John  G.  ^Vhite,  Rohert  L.  Wright. 

The  Forty-seventh  was  organized  at  Peoria  in  >;Vugnst  and  Sep- 
tember, 1861.  Soon  after  being  mustered  in  it  moved  to  Benton 
Barracks  at  St.  Louis.  It  was  first  under  fire  at  Farming-ton,  ^liss., 
May  9,  1862;  took  part  in  the  action  of  ^lay  28,  1862,  at  Corinth, 
wliere  Colonel  Tln-ush  was  killed,  and  in  3Iay.  1868,  joined  General 
Grant  at  Vicksburg.  After  the  fall  of  Vieksbin-g  it  was  ordered  to 
Louisiana.  When  the  men  whose  time  had  expired  were  mustered  out 
in  1864.  the  veterans  and  recruits  were  consolidated  with  some  from 
other  regiments.  The  Stark  County  men  in  the  consolidated  Forty- 
seventh  were  as  follows: 

Company  A — James  B.  Riley  and  Richard  Lynch. 

Company  B — Henry  Weiar,  corporal  (promoted  captain)  :  Wil- 
son Boggs,  first  lieutenant;  and  the  followhig  privates:  J.  Bates, 
Socrates  Drummond.  Cliarles  (roodrich.  (ieorgc  Ilachtel.  Henry 
Hixon,  Oscar  G.  Hixon,  James  Kinkade,  Uavid  Oziah,  Sylvester 
Sylcott,  Jacob  Weiar,  ^Michael  Weiar. 

Company  C — Benjamin  Ellis,  corporal. 

Company  E — Philip  C.  Scott,  corporal;  Charles  Byrne,  Thomas 
Byrne.  William  Conklin,  James  Farrell.  Charles  Hall,  John  Keely 
and  Robert  Keusler,  privates. 

Company  H — George  Edwards,  John  Hartley,  Uaniel  Hogan 
and  Charles  jNIcBride,  privates. 

Company  I — In  this  company  were  four  privates,  viz:  Uaniel 
Ballard,  John  Burns,  Abram  Loudenburgh,  Theodore  Vandyke. 

Company  K — Albert  Papeneau,  sergeant;  Alexander  Davis, 
George  W.  Sailer  and  Alexander  Sanies,  corporals :  Robert  Lambert, 
wagoner;  David  Biddleman,  Enoch  Foble,  Thomas  J.  Fuller,  Thomas 
Fryman,  Samuel  A.  Glassford,  Samuel  S.  Glassford.  Stephen  H. 
Jackson,  John  W.  ^lorrison  and  Robert  Sames,  privates. 

After  the  consolidation  above  mentioned  the  regiment  continued 
on  duty  in  Louisiana  and  Alabama.  It  was  mustered  out  at  Sehna, 
Ala.,  in  January,  1866. 

SIXTY-FIFTH    INFANTRY 

The  next  regiment  in  which  Stark  County  was  represented  by  any 
considerable  number  of  men  was  the  Sixty-fifth,  which  was  mustered 
in  at  Chicago  on  ]May  1,  1862.  In  Company  A  were  James  K.  iVllen, 
Ezekiel  Bogard,  Joseph  Bogard,  Asa  Greenfield,  Bethuel  Greenfield, 


146  HISTORY  OF  STAKK  COUNTY 

Sylvester  Greenfield  and  Robert  H.  Hitchcock.  There  were  three 
jjrivates  in  Conijjany  D — Finley  ^IcClellan,  William  \V.  Updike  and 
Daniel  P.  White — and  in  Company  G  were  Corporal  John  Richer, 
James  F.  Ausman,  William  H.  Ausman,  privates. 

A  mimber  of  men  in  Company  L  came  from  Stark  County. 
George  II.  Brown  was  mustered  in  as  a  sergeant  and  promoted  to 
second  lieutenant;  James  K.  Oziah  served  as  corporal,  and  the  follow- 
ing as  privates:  Isaac  Bannister,  Benjamin  Blackburn,  Stephen  S. 
Burnham.  Alfred  Cornish,  James  Dalrymple,  Freeman  R.  Davison, 
Chauncey  Gardner,  Henry  C.  Hall,  Robert  Heimessy,  Harmon 
Ilochstrasser,  Osro  C.  Huckins,  Frederick  K.  Ketzenberger,  Alex- 
ander C.  Lord,  Peter  Xelson,  Arthur  R.  Olds,  George  W.  Pate, 
James  C.  Powell,  Samuel  C.  Sharrer,  William  Shirts,  Harvey  L. 
Way.  \V.  W.  Weaver.  John  Whitclier  and  Robert  ^y.  ^Vood. 

The  Sixty-fifth,  sometimes  calleil  the  "Scotch  Regiment,"  served 
in  ^"irginia  until  the  sjjring  of  1863,  when  it  was  assigned  to  the  Army 
of  Eastern  Kentucky.  In  the  spring  of  1864  it  joined  General  Sher- 
man for  the  Atlanta  campaign  and  was  in  numerous  engagements, 
especially  distinguishing  itself  at  Lost  Mountain  and  the  charge  at 
Kenesaw  ^Mountain.  Like  the  Forty-seventh,  some  of  the  veterans 
and  reci-uits  of  other  regiments  were  consolidated  with  tlie  Sixty-fifth, 
and  in  the  consolidated  regiment  the  following  men  were  credited  to 
Stark  County: 

Company  B — David  C.  Jf)nes,  sergeant;  Josejjh  W.  Richer,  cor- 
jjoral ;  George  JMaxfield  and  David  Woodard,  privates. 

Company  F — Elmer  Sage,  first  lieutenant;  Frank  L.  Yale  and 
Luther  Graham,  corporals;  George  A.  Brown,  William  A.  Brown, 
Zachary  T.  Brown,  James  L.  Fox,  ^lelvin  Gage,  William  J.  Hamil- 
ton, Ira  F.  Hayden,  ^Martin  Plickman,  Andrew  Jackson,  A\'illiam  J. 
Lamper,  ]Morris  C.  Lami^son,  John  Lee,  Solomon  Leighton,  Isaac 
Luce,  Jacob  W.  McDaniel,  Bailey  C.  Ogden,  George  W.  Pate, 
Thomas  Patterson,  Adam  Rush.  George  Rush.  James  M.  Tacket, 
Stephen  Talbot,  Anson  Tanner,  Elisha  E.  Taylor,  privates. 

Company  H — James  K.  Allen,  Joseph  Bogard,  Bethuel  Green- 
field, Sylvester  Greenfield,  Robert  H.  Hitchcock  and  Daniel  P. 
White,  privates. 

Company  I — In  this  company  Freeman  R.  Davison  and  Osro  C. 
Huckins  served  as  privates,  and  in  Company  K.  George  H.  Brown 
Mas  second  lieutenant.  The  consolidated  Sixty-fifth  was  mustered 
out  on  July  13,  1865. 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  li7 

SIXTY-NINTH    INFANTRY 

Tliirty-onc  men  from  Stark  County  saw  service  in  Company  D, 
Sixty-nintli  Infantry,  which  was  mustered  into  the  United  States 
service  on  June  14,  18152.  Jedediah  Luce,  George  ^V.  Smith,  Mat- 
thew Rounds  and  James  Adams  were  enrolled  as  corporals,  and  the 
following-  served  as  privates:  oMoses  jM.  Adams.  ^Villiam  Rowden, 
Edward  Rrown,  Robert  Royd,  Lucius  Church,  \Villiam  H.  Davidson, 
Algernon  Fitch,  Ransom  1).  Foster,  William  Foster,  INlichael  Gil- 
lespie, William  Hamilton.  David  Ilimes,  ^Michael  Hum,  Renjamin 
F-  I^ewis,  Henry  R.  Lewis,  George  ^V.  McDanicl.  Cieorge  Pate,  Kd- 
Mard  Perry,  Edwin  R.  Pomeroy,  John  AV.  Rounds,  Wilson  Rounds, 
F^rederick  Russell,  Jasper  Smith,  Theron  Wallei-,  ^Villiam  F. 
Wheeler,  Lorenzo  K.  Wiley,  Isaac  INI.  AVitter. 

EIGHTY-SIXTH    INFANTRY 

This  regiment  was  organized  at  Peoi'ia  and  was  mustered  in  on 
August  27,  1H()2.  Stark  County  furnished  nineteen  men  to  Com- 
pany E,  and  three  men  to  Company  II.  George  H.  Smith  was  mus- 
tered in  as  a  sergeant  in  the  former  company  and  was  promoted  to  the 
captaincy  on  July  1.3,  18G4.  The  privates  were:  Renton  Carrington, 
Joseph  Carter,  ^Villiam  Cooper,  Williaiu  Dawson,  Harvey  Fore- 
man (promoted  to  second  lieutenant,  but  not  mustered),  Alonzo 
Goodale,  James  C.  Hall,  John  A.  Job,  Andrew  Xehlig,  Thomas 
Reader,  James  ^V.  Reagan,  Tighlman  S.  Reagan,  James  S.  Schank, 
Jacol)  Schleigh.  AVilliam  F.  Speers,  John  R.  Waldron,  Eli  Wilson 
and  Louis  \V()odward.  The  three  men  in  Company  II  were:  Cyrus 
A.  Fox,  who  was  enrolled  as  musician,  and  privates  Alexander  Ilep- 
perly  and  John  Jenkeson. 

The  regiment  was  ordered  to  Ijouisville,  Ky.,  immediately 
after  it  was  mustered  in  and  served  for  several  moiitlis  in  that  state. 
It  was  engaged  at  Perryville,  Chickamauga,  ^lissionaiy  Ridge  and 
in  several  of  the  battles  and  skirmishes  of  the  Atlanta  campaign  in 
18(>1..  aftei-  which  it  accompanied  Sherman's  army  on  the  historic 
"JMarcli  to  the  sea"  and  the  campaign  of  the  Carolinas.  It  was  mus- 
tered out  at  AVashington,  D.  C,  June  6,  18G.3. 

NINETY-THIRD    INFANTRY" 

In  September,  1802,  this  regiment  was  organized  at  Chicago  and 
when  mustered  into  the  United  States  service  Nicholas  C.  Ruswell, 


148  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

of  Stark  County,  held  the  rank  of  heutei)aiit-colonel.  He  was  pro- 
moted to  colonel  on  Xo\einber  2.5,  18(53,  but  was  not  mustered  as  such. 
In  Company  H  the  following  Stark  County  boys  were  enrolled  as 
privates:  George  Gardner,  Thomas  Goodwin,  Edgar  Hall,  William 
C.  Ifall,  John  Ilellener,  ^Matthew  Landon,  Fred  Selaghter,  Seth  K. 
Stoughton,  Xathan  Thorn  and  ^Morgan  L.  Weaver. 

In  November,  ISC'i,  the  regiment  was  ordered  to  ^lemphis,  Tenn., 
and  the  next  ^Nlareh  it  took  part  in  the  famous  Y^azoo  Pass  expedi- 
tion. It  was  in  the  battle  of  Rlack  River  Bridge,  the  siege  of  Vicks- 
burg,  a  number  of  the  engagements  on  the  Atlanta  eampaign  of  IHfii, 
marched  with  Sherman  to  the  sea  and  up  through  the  Carolinas,  and 
was  mustered  out  on  June  23,  1865. 

ONE    HUNDRED    AND    TWELFTH    INFANTRY 

On  xVugust  8,  18(;2,  the  commissioned  officers  of  three  Stark 
County  companies  and  sevoi  Henry  County  companies  met  at  Cialva 
ami  took  the  jireliminary  stejjs  to  organize  a  regiment.  The  result  of 
tliis  movement  was  that  on  September  20-22,  1862,  the  One  Hundred 
and  Twelfth  was  mustered  in  at  Peoria,  with  Thomas  J.  Henderson, 
of  Toulon,  as  colonel,  and  Luther  S.  JNIillikin,  of  Wyoming,  as  as- 
sistant surgeon,  afterward  promoted  surgeon.  "With  the  exception 
of  a  few  men.  Companies  B,  E  and  F  were  raised  in  Stark  County. 

In  Company  B  the  commissioned  officers  at  the  time  of  muster  in 
Mere:  James  B.  Doyle,  captain;  Jonathan  C.  Dickerson,  first  lieu- 
tenant ;  John  Gudgell,  second  lieutenant.  Captain  Doyle  resigned  on 
March  31,  1863,  and  Lieutenant  Dickerson  was  promoted  to  the 
vacancy.  He  Mas  killed  in  action  on  September  18,  1863,  Mhen  I>ieu- 
tenant  Ciudgell  became  captain  and  served  until  discharged  on  ^Nlarch 
27,  1865.  Bradford  F.  Thompson  Mas  then  promoted  to  the  cap- 
taincy and  held  that  rank  until  the  regiment  was  mustered  out. 

Sergeants — Bradford  F.  Thompson  (promoted  to  lieutenant  and 
captain),  William  H.  Doyle  (i)romoted  first  lieutenant).  Charles  P.. 
Foster  (promoted  second  lieutenant),  John  II.  Bunnell  and  Willard 
B.  Foster. 

Corporals — Eli  C.  Jones  (promoted  sergeant),  George  W.  Reed 
(promoted  sergeant),  Nicholas  Hill,  Augustus  J.  Thomi)son  |  jirn- 
moted  sergeant),  Edward  J.  Riley. 

Privates — Robert  Alexander,  Charles  H.  Barber,  George  Barber, 
Orlin  Bevier  (promoted  corporal),  Andrew  J.  Brode,  Charles  N. 
Crook    (])romoted  corporal),  Isaac  N.  Dalrymple,  Thomas  E.  De- 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  149 

• 

Jaiit'v.  Uriah  Dunn.  Spencer  KIston,  Joseph  Fleming,  Fiioeh  \N'. 
l'\)stt'r,  ^Morris  Fowler,  Samuel  13.  Francis,  John  P.  Freeman,  ^Vil- 
liam  1).  Freeman,  AVashington  Garside,  Hiram  P.  Cieer.  Kphraim 
(ilidden.  James  A.  Goudrich,  .John  Hall,  Charles  II.  Handley,  \Vil- 
liani  Handley,  .James  Hare,  Henry  S.  Haj'den  (mustered  out  as 
musician),  Louis  T.  Ilinkle  (promoted  corporal),  Kdwin  Holmes, 
George  Jennings,  ^^'iiliam  H.  Johnson,  Levi  W.  Jones  (promoted 
corporal),  .John  R.  .Jones  (promoted  sergeant),  Peter  .Tones,  Daniel 
Kane,  Francis  J.  Leggett,  Charles  Leighton,  John  C.  Leighton, 
.James  A.  I^ong  (promoted  corporal),  William  C.  Lopeman,  George 
Ijudlum,  Henry  MeKihhons.  .John  JNIcLaughlin,  Hiram  P.  jNIallory 
(promoted  corporal).  Llias  Miller,  Ornian  X.  xMiiler,  Horace  iNIorri- 
son.  .Jolm  ()lenl)in-g  (promoted  corporal) ,  J-'^her  S.  Oshorn  (mustered 
out  as  wagoner),  Lewis  Oshorn,  Irwin  Oxherger,  James  Partridge, 
.Jacol)  H.  Perkey,  Ira  Porter,  Samuel  Redding,  George  W.  Scott, 
Henry  Shim]).  Dennis  Spellman.  Henry  Stacy,  Nathan  D.  Stewart, 
George  W.  Stone,  Cyrus  Sturm,  Isaac  Sturm,  .John  Sturm,  Alva  ^V. 
Sturtevant,  Clark  N.  Sturtevant,  Joseph  Taylor,  Charles  R.  Thomp- 
son, .John  Wallace,  William  P.  Wilson. 

Recruits — Joseph  H.  Raldwin,  George  A.  Brown,  IMelvin  Gage, 
Ira  F.  Hayden,  ^Villiam  .T.  1  tamper,  .John  Lee,  Solomon  Leighton, 
Isaac  Luce. 

Sanford  I^.  Ives,  of  Goshen  Township,  was  a  sergeant  in  Com- 
pany 1),  and  Robert  Creighton,  Walter  N.  Jones,  Lemuel  F. 
JNlathews,  Baillie  C.  Ogden  and  Ste])hen  Talhot.  ])rivates  in  the  same 
company,  Avere  credited  to  Stark  County. 

Sylvester  F.  Otman,  of  Wyoming,  was  mustered  in  as  captain  of. 
Company  K;  Cranner  W.  Brown,  first  lieutenant:  Elmer  A.  Sage, 
second  lieutenant.  The  last  named  was  transferred  to  the  Sixty-fiftli 
regiment  and  Henry  Graves  was  made  second  lieutenant. 

Sergeants — Henry  .T.  Otman,  Henry  Graves  (promoted  second 
lieutenant).  Dixon  Solomon,  John  E.  Charrett  and  Charles  B.  Hitch- 
cock. 

Corporals— Timothy  Bailey,  John  B.  Pettit.  William  G.  Wilkin- 
son, I'eter  ]M.  Swords,  Carey  G.  Colhurn.  AVilliam  C.  JMc^Iillen. 
James  B.  Blackmore.  David  Fast. 

Wagoner — John  D.  INIartin. 

Privates — ^Michael  Alderman.  iMfred  B.  Armstrong.  .Terry  IT. 
Bailey.  William  B.  Barr.  David  Barrett.  James  D.  Bloomer  (])i-(i- 
moted  sergeant),  Gershom  Bui'nett,  .Tames  FL  Bush.  Sidnev  D.  But- 
ler   (promoted    corporal),    William    Cassatt,    William    T.    Carter, 


150  lllSTOliV   Ol'   STAKK  LOLNTV 

Thomas  Cohvell,  William  Cohvcll,  John  Cole,  Absalom  J.  Cooper, 
Klijali  Cox,  Joel  Cox,  Douglas  X.  Crone  (promoted  eorporal), 
Charles  B.  Davis,  David  Dawson,  John  Dawson,  Xewton  Dolison, 
\\'illiam  Ellis,  James  Elston,  Wallace  W.  Emanuel,  Whitfield  Evans, 
Andrew  Fautz,  Xoah  Fautz,  Shephard  Green,  Stephen  ^^^  Cxreen, 
Henry  A.  Greenerwalt,  Jonathan  Ciraves.  Charles  Hall,  Charles 
Hart,  Eugene  Hart,  John  Harvey,  William  Herridge,  Lewis  Hihack, 
JNlichael  Hire,  \Villiam  Holgate,  IMedora  Hoover,  X'athan  H.  Hull, 
David  Kerns,  Calvin  B.  Laskell,  Curwine  McCoy,  John  IMcCoy, 
Kiley  .AJaranville,  George  B.  Marlatt,  David  S.  .Miller,  William  H. 
jNIorgan,  William  J.  jNlorgan,  George  W.  Nicholas,  John  Oldaker 
(promoted  corporal),  Charles  W.  Phenix.  Frank  Pross,  James  W. 
KatclifF,  James  Ray,  Simon  Ray,  William  Ray,  John  Sigel,  William 
E.  L.  Smith,  Cyrus  Snare  (promoted  corporal),  Henry  Soper, 
Joseph  Sparks,  ^Michael  Springer,  James  Strinhurg,  Sylvester  H. 
Stofer,  John  D.  Swain,  Thaddeus  Thurston,  Ananias  Timmons  (pro- 
moted corj^oral).  Philip  ^I.  Trapp,  Josiah  F.  Umbaugh,  David 
Wandling,  Russell  White,  Ancil  H.  \Voodcock. 

Recruits — James  I^.  Fox,  jMorris  C.  Lampson,  Adam  Rush, 
Geoi-ge  Rush,  Francis  M.  Sollars,  James  JNl.  Tacket,  Anson  Tanner. 

Companj'  F  was  officered  at  the  time  of  muster  in  as  follows: 
William  W.  Wright,  captain;  Jackson  Lawrence,  first  lieutenant; 
Robert  E.  Westfall,  second  lieutenant.  Captain  Wright  died  on 
June  24,  1864,  and  was  succeeded  by  James  G.  Armstrong,  who  was 
mustered  in  as  first  sergeant,  Robert  E.  Westfall  being  promoted  to 
first  lieutenant. 

Sergeants — James  G.  Armstrong  (promoted  captain),  George 
C.  ]\Iaxfield  (promoted  second  lieutenant),  Edwin  Butler.  AVilliam 
P.  Finiey,  Bushrod  Tapp  (promoted  first  lieutenant). 

Corporals — John  H.  Lane  (jiromoted  sergeant),  Henry  B.  Perry 
(promoted  second  lieutenant),  William  C.  Bell,  Andrew  G.  Pike 
(})romoted  sergeant),  William  Rounds,  Levi  Silliman,  ^Milton 
Trickle.  John  F.  Rhodes  (promoted  sergeant). 

Privates — Henry  C.  Ackley,  John  L.  Adams.  Samuel  3L  H. 
Adams  (promoted  corporal),  Alfred  C.  Ballentine,  William  P.  Bal- 
lentine  (promoted  sergeant),  Elmore  Barnhill.  AVilliam  H.  Barton, 
William  Beiderdeck.  John  Black.  George  Iif)yd.  William  Boyd, 
Xathaniel  Crabtree,  William  ]M.  Creighton,  John  W.  Curfman.  James 
W.  Davison,  Darius  Demont.  Robert  INI.  Denney  (promoted  cor- 
poral), Samuel  ]M.  Eldridge,  George  Ely,  William  H.  Ely.  James 
Essex.  John  D.  Essex,  William  T.  Essex.  James  E.  Finlev  (mustered 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  151 

out  as  corporal),  Olaus  Forss,  Heiuy  Garner,  James  R.  Gelviu  (pro- 
moted sergeant) ,  George  Graen,  William  II.  Harris,  Anderson  Harty 
(promoted  sergeant),  James  P.  Headlev.  Milton  Headley,  Austin  C. 
Ilimes,  William  Himes,  .Joseph  Hoppock.  James  Hughes  (promoted 
corporal),  Uaniel  Huselton,  George  W.  Johnson,  Ilavilah  B.  John- 
son, Timothy  Kennedy,  Andrew  Kamerer,  John  Kindle,  Royal  Laf- 
ferty,  Jesse  Likens,  Theodore  ^MeDaniel.  James  M.  ^NlcSharry. 
Jeremiah  D.  ^Madden,  Job  G.  ]MaIiaft'ey,  Robert  Makings,  Isaac 
^lessinger,  George  ^liller,  Josiah  Minoi-,  John  F.  Negus,  Zarah  II. 
Newton,  Cieorge  W.  Oziah.  Hiram  G.  Parrish,  William  B.  Price, 
Thomas  Proctor,  George  Rockwell,  (ieorge  W.  Rhodes,  Ira  Scran- 
ton,  Kphraim  ^V.  Smith,  Jacob  Stanffer.  Milton  Stevens,  George  G. 
Stone  (promotetl  eor])oral),  Robert  Ci.  Stowe,  William  A.  Stowe, 
Presley  Terrell,  David  Tiidin,  Benjamin  F.  Todd,  Jacob  Vulgamott 
(promoted  corporal),  William  Vulgamott,  David  Webster,  Thomas 
T.  White,  John  W.  ^Vhitten.  Curtis  Wright. 

liecruits — Joseph  II.  Burwick.  Futher  Graham,  Henry  C.  Hall, 
William  J.  Hamilton,  Peter  C.  Johnson,  J.  AV.  ^NlcDaniel,  George 
W.  Pate,  Thomas  Patterson,  Elisha  J.  Taylor,  Jesse  B.  Taylor, 
Henry  J.  Stone. 

In  Company  G.  Joseph  Berry,  Charles  Kezer,  George  ^lelbourne, 
Louis  E.  jMorton,  John  A.  Tarble,  AVilliam  A.  Brown,  Ransom  D. 
Foster,  Andrew  Jackson,  INIyron  Waters  and  Frank  L.  Yale  served 
as  privates,  and  the  following  recruits  from  Stark  County  were  nnas- 
signed  to  comjnniies:  John  Berier,  Ciba  A.  Dunlap,  Noah  Hidle- 
baugh.  Jonas  Johnson,  Arnold  Volney. 

The  I'egiment  left  Peoria  on  October  8,  18(»2,  and  on  the  11th  re- 
])orted  to  Gen.  Gordon  Granger,  at  Covington,  Ky.  It  remained  in 
camp  at  Lexington  for  about  five  months,  after  which  it  was  on  guard 
and  scolding  duty  in  Kentucky  until  the  summer  of  1803,  several 
times  being  engaged  with  small  bodies  of  the  enemy.  It  Avas  then 
moved  to  East  Tennessee  and  took  part  in  all  the  military  operations 
there  in  the  fall  of  1863  and  the  early  part  of  ISfU.  In  :May,  1804,  it 
joined  General  Sherman  at  Tunnel  Hill,  Ga..  and  was  in  several  of 
the  hottest  engagements  of  the  .Atlanta  campaign.  When  General 
Hood  evacuated  Atlanta  and  started  northward,  the  regiment,  as  part 
of  the  Twenty-third  Army  Corps,  moved  back  to  Tennessee.  It  took 
part  in  the  battles  of  Franklin  and  Nashville,  which  virtually  ended 
the  war  in  the  ^Vest.  After  pursuing  Hood's  retreating  army  to  the 
Tennessee  River,  the  One  Hundred  and  Twelfth  i)roceeded  by  steam- 
boat to  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  thence  by  rail  to  ^Vashington,  D.  C,  and 


152  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY' 

was  next  engaged  in  the  reduction  of  Fort  Fisher.  Its  last  service  was 
in  North  CaroHna.  It  was  mustered  out  at  Cliicago  on  July  7,  IHGo. 
Colonel  Henderson  was  in  conunand  of  the  hrigade  the  greater  part 
of  the  time  after  August  8,  1863,  and  on  November  30,  1864i,  was 
pi'omoted  to  the  rank  of  brevet  brigadier-general. 

ONE    HUNDRED    AND    TWENTY-FOUKTH    INFANTRY 

Sixteen  Stark  Comity  men  served  in  this  regiment,  though  some 
of  them  were  credited  to  Henry  County.  Asa  Bunton  was  corporal 
in  Company  A  at  the  time  of  muster  in,  but  was  promoted  to  sergeant, 
and  Uaniel  S.  Adams,  Frank  Hudson,  Levi  Leek,  Fred  ^l.  Leacroft 
and  Asa  Smith  enlisted  as  privates  in  the  same  company.  In  Ccni- 
pany  F.  George  S.  Green  was  a  sergeant;  Samuel  ^I.  Likes,  a  cor- 
poral; and  the  following  privates:  Nathaniel  Copper.  Walter  A. 
Fell,  x\lvin  Galley,  Tliomas  :Murray.  Thomas  W.  Rule,  Sylvester 
Sweet.  Andrew  Turnbidl  and  ^Alexander  Wier. 

The  regiment  was  mustered  in  on  September  10,  1862,  with 
Thomas  J.  Sloan  as  colonel.  Its  first  active  service  was  in  Tennessee; 
then  it  took  part  in  the  siege  of  Vicksburg  and  several  of  the  engage- 
ments of  that  cam})aign.  In  January.  1864,  it  won  the  prize  banner 
offered  by  Gen.  M.  D.  Leggett  for  the  best  drilled  regiment  in  the 
division.  Its  last  service  was  in  Alabama.  It  was  mustered  out  at 
Springfield,  111.,  August  16,  I860. 

ONE    HUNDRED    AND    THIRTY-NINTH    INFANTRY 

In  this  regiment,  as  in  the  preceding  one,  some  of  the  men  who 
went  out  from  Stark  County  are  credited  to  other  counties.  Stephen 
V.  R.  Bates,  of  Toulon,  was  a  member  of  the  regimental  band;  Otis 
P.  Dyer  was  a  corporal  in  Company  A ;  James  Swank  was  a  corporal 
m  Company  E;  Ansel  J.  Wright  was  first  lieutenant  in  Company  H; 
Gorham  P.  Blood  and  George  Dugan  were  sergeants  in  the  same 
company;  Oliver  P.  Crowell,  Nathaniel  W.  Dewey  and  \Villiam  O. 
Johnson  were  corporals,  and  the  following  served  as  privates:  Wil- 
liam J.  Barnett,  Samuel  Burge,  Thomas  W,  Cade,  George  W,  Dewey, 
Joseph  Flansburg,  Adam  Gardner,  Abram  H.  Loudenburg,  Don  C, 
I>yon,  Oren  ^Nlaxfield,  Jr.,  Elisha  ]Mosher,  ^Villiam  II.  Newcomer, 
Harrison  Newton,  Joseph  II.  Newton,  Harvey  J.  Remington,  Reu- 
ben Rounds,  John  S.  Roof,  Charles  D.  Sharrer,  William  Searl, 
Joseph  H.  Sharrer.  Theodore  Vandyke,  Andrew  J.  Whitaker,  Ben- 


I 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  153 

jainin  J.  \Vitcher,  Isaac  M.  Witter,  Benjamin  Witter,  William  "\V. 
WrJMht. 

Tliis  regiment  was  mustered  in  on  June  1,  1804.,  for  100  days  and 
was  soon  afterward  sent  to  Columbus,  Ky.,  via  St.  Louis.  Its  only 
encounter  with  the  enemy  was  in  capturing  horses  and  cattle  to  replace 
some  taken  by  guerrillas,  who  had  taken  some  Government  cattle 
from  steamboats  near  Padueah.  Some  of  the  stock  was  recaptured 
and  enough  taken  from  secession  sympathizers  to  make  good  the  loss. 
It  was  then  in  pursuit  of  General  Price  in  Missouri.  It  was  mustered 
out  at  Peoria  on  October  2.).  18()4.  having  served  nearly  two  months 
beyond  the  term  of  its  enlistment. 

ONE    HUXDREl)    AXU    I'IFTV-FIKST    INFANTRY 

Fayette  Lacey,  who  had  previously  served  in  the  Thirty-seventh 
Regiment,  was  made  sergeant-major  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifty- 
first;  Lafayette  Schanip  was  a  private  in  Company  A;  ^V.  II.  Rover, 
Allen  Gingrich  and  C.  W.  Phenix  served  as  privates  in  Company  E, 
and  a  large  ])art  of  Company  I  came  from  Stark  County. 

The  commissioned  officers  of  Company  I  were  as  follows:  Casimir 
P.Jackson,  captain;  James  INIontooth,  first  lieutenant;  Andrew^  Gal- 
braith,  second  lieutenant.  James  ^lontooth  resigned  on  June  20, 
18(5.5.  and  Lieutenant  Galbraith  was  promoted  to  the  vacancy,  Ser- 
geant George  R.  Fezler  being  made  second  lieutenant. 

Sei-geants — George  Dugan.  Cieorge  R.  Fezler.  George  W.  ]Mc- 
Daniels,  Samuel  Keyes. 

Corporals — Rufus  S.  Jones,  Samuel  Dixon,  Thomas  Homer, 
James  F.  Thompson,  John  S.  Roof  and  Herod  ]Murnan. 

JMusicians — Thomas  S.  Craig  and  Charles  W.  Orr. 

^Vagoner — Jonathan  Rounds,  of  Goshen  Township. 

Privates — Atkinson  Coe,  David  Crumb,  Austin  DeWolf,  Joseph 
Dixon.  George  W.  Gilson,  Orson  Grant.  Edward  A.  Johnson,  Leon- 
idas  H.  Jones.  Elias  R.  Ia'w  is,  Samuel  K.  Lowman,  Ira  J.  JMcCon- 
nell.  Samuel  Masters.  .lohn  H.  ^Nloncrief,  Edward  A.  Perry.  Rethuel 
Pierson.  Daniel  Rockwell,  Seth  F.  Rockwell,  Henry  W.  Thomas  and 
David  Woodard. 

The  regiment  was  organized  at  Quincy  and  was  mustered  into  the 
United  .States  service  on  February  2'J.  ISfi.l.  for  one  yeai-.  Two  days 
later  the  men  were  armed  and  equi])ped  at  Springfield,  and  on  March 
7,  186.5,  the  One  Hundred  and  I'ifty-first  reported  to  Gen.  James  B. 
Steadman  at  Chattanooga,  Tennessee.    It  was  present  at  Resaca,  Ga., 


154  HISTOKV  (JF  STAllK  COUM'V 

Avlien  Confederate  General  AVarford  surrendered  his  command  to 
lOjiUO  men  in  May,  and  spent  the  remainder  of  its  term  of  service  in 
that  state,  breaking  uji  guerrilla  bands,  guarding  Government  stores, 
etc.     It  was  mustered  out  at  Columbus,  Ga.,  January  "Ji,  18GG. 

MISCELLANEOUS    INFAXTRY    ENLISTMENTS 

In  addition  to  the  comijany  rosters  given  above,  a  number  of  Stark 
County  men  were  scattered  through  the  various  infantiy  regiments 
sent  out  by  the  state.  An  examination  of  the  adjutant-general's  re- 
ports shows  that  Keuben  Crook  and  George  \y.  Leighton  served  in 
Company  A,  and  Lemuel  G.  JNlarsh  in  Company  G,  Sixteenth 
Infantry. 

In  the  Twentieth,  William  Borter,  Zelotas  Kendall  and  ^Matthew 
Rounds,  were  enrolled  in  Company  E;  William  Keeper  and  Calvin 
Vulgamott,  Company  D:  James  Farrell,  PhiliiJ  Graves,  Finley  C. 
JNIcClellan,  Edward  Quirk  and  Herman  Schrader,  Company  E; 
Thomas  Graves,  Company  F;  ^Michael  Flynn  and  William  H.  Little, 
Company  I. 

Jerome  B.  Thomas,  of  Wyoming,  went  to  Kewanee  and  enlisted 
in  the  Twentj^-fourth,  of  which  regiment  he  was  commissioned  assis- 
tant'surgeon  on  jNIarch  3,  1862. 

Six  Stark  County  boys  served  in  the  Twenty-eighth,  viz:  James 
C.  Hall  and  John  Waldron,  in  Company  E  (later  transferred  to  the 
Thirt_y-fourth  Regiment)  ;  Edress  ]M.  Conklin,  Company  F;  George 
A.  Armstrong,  Jeremiah  Fergiison  and  James  JNI.  Paden,  Company  K, 

In  the  Thirty-eighth  Regiment,  John  ]M.  Cole,  Thomas  C.  Davis 
and  Peter  Lane  served  as  privates  in  Company  E.  John  Timmons 
was  a  recruit  in  Company  D,  Fortieth  Infantry,  and  Hugh  D.  Keff er 
was  a  private  in  Company  G  of  the  same  regiment.  James  D.  Ander- 
son was  enrolled  in  Company  D,  Forty-first. 

John  L.  Lee  and  William  C.  Grant  were  recruits  in  the  Forty- 
ninth,  the  former  in  Company  B  and  the  latter  in  Com])any  K.  and 
Jolni  Ryan  was  a  private  in  the  Fiftieth. 

The  Fifty-first  was  organized  in  the  winter  of  1861-62.  In  Com- 
pany II  were  Hugh  Donnelly,  Eli  PLlison,  Erick  From,  Thomas  Imes, 
Cyrus  .lacobs,  James  Kemiedy.  James  Kinneman.  Charles  W.  New- 
ton, Joseph  Pew,  David  Simmerman,  Solomon  R.  Shockley,  Anthony 
Sturm  and  Paul  Ward.  Cyrus  A.  Anthony  enlisted  as  a  private  in 
Company  K,  but  was  promoted  to  quartermaster  sergeant  and  later 
to  captain  of  Company  B. 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  ]55 

In  the  Fifty-third,  Francis  Bradlej^  was  enrolled  in  Company  A; 
James  W.  Albro  and  James  Lee,  Company  C;  William  Oziah,  Com- 
pany F. 

Five  Stark  County  men  enlisted  in  Company  G  of  the  Fifty-lifth, 
to-wit:  L.  S.  Coggswell,  George  W.  Eckley,  James  A.  Eckley, 
Joseph  C.  Hiner  and  George  E.  ^Vitter.  Three  of  these  five  were 
promoted  to  noncommissioned  officers. 

In  the  Fifty-sixth,  Edward  Keffer  and  Osmand  C.  Griswold  en- 
listed at  ]McEeansboro.  The  former  rose  to  be  captain  of  his  com- 
pany and  tiie  latter  was  mustered  out  as  a  second  lieutenant. 

Thomas  J.  Blake,  James  Kelley  and  Joseph  ^Manning  enlisted  in 
Company  F,  Fifty-seventh  Tid'antry:  James  Nichols  and  Thomas  C. 
Xicliols  in  Company  K,  and  William  P.  Clifford  in  Company  H. 

In  the  Fifty-eighth,  Rudolph  Shipman  enlisted  in  Company  I); 
Edward  Ueffleg  and  Isaac  Dudley  in  Company  E;  Franklin  IMaxey 
and  James  C.  JNIaxey,  Comjjany  I;  and  John  Ryan  joined  the  regi- 
ment as  an  unassigned  recruit  in  February,  180,5. 

Stephen  liabb  served  in  the  Sixty-fourth,  and  in  the  Sixty-sixth 
were  Charles  Atherton,  Andrew  Hamilton  and  Daniel  Holmes. 

In  Company  A,  Seventy-second  Infantry,  were  Miles  Avery, 
Jacob  Galley,  Scepta  T.  Harding,  James  U.  Heath  and  Robert 
Holmes,  and  George  W.  Dunbar,  Jr.,  and  W.  II.  Harris  served  in 
Company  E,  Eighty-third. 

In  the  One  Hundred  and  Sixth.  Henjamin  Williams  was  ca])tain 
of  Company  G,  and  James  W.  Berry,  who  enlisted  as  a  corporal  in 
C()m])any  H,  was  promoted  to  first  lieutenant. 

In  the  One  Hun(h-ed  and  Eighth,  Ricliard  I^ynch  was  a  member 
of  Company  C.  and  James  Riley  of  Company  I).  Miles  A.  Collin- 
berry  was  in  Company  K.  One  Hundred  and  Thirteenth,  and  John 
C.  Copestake  was  first  assistant  sui'geon  of  the  One  Hmidred  and 
Fourteenth. 

In  Company  H,  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-seventh  regiment, 
were  Abram  Bevier.  Robert  J.  Dickinson,  Uriah  (xiwitts,  William 
H.  Giwitts  and  George  Kinter. 

In  the  One  Hundred  and  Thirty-second  were  two  privates  fi'om 
Stark  County — Cliarles  C.  Hotchkiss  and  Barney  M.  Jackson — both 
members  of  Company  G. 

In  Coni])any  I,  One  Hundred  and  Forty-eighth  (a  one-year  regi- 
ment), Mf)ses  B.  Robinson  was  a  sergeant:  Edwin  B.  Pomeroy.  a 
corporal;  and  ^^'illiam  D.  Cundiff,  Charles  Hester  and  Unman  Ilinies 
served  as  privates. 


156  III  STORY  OF  STARK  COLXTY 

Four  men  Avere  credited  to  Stark  County  in  Company  I,  One 
Hundred  and  Fifty-fifth  Infantry,  viz:  William  Cross,  Patrick 
JNlcGuire,  Edward  ORrien  and  Oliver  P.  White. 

CAV.VLKY    SERVICE 

Illinois  furnisheil  seventeen  regiments  of  cavalry  to  the  Union 
army  during  the  Civil  war.  Stark  County  was  represented  in  seven 
of  the  seventeen  regiments,  though  in  no  instance  did  a  whole  com- 
pany enlist  from  the  county. 

In  Company  A,  Third  Cavalry,  which  was  mustered  in  on  Sep- 
tember 21,  1861.  were  James  H.  Chaddock,  John  ^V.  Highlands  and 
Samuel  A.  Highlands.  After  the  ranks  of  the  regiment  were  depleted 
liy  a  long  and  arduous  service,  it  was  consolidated  with  portions  of 
other  commands  and  in  Company  C,  Consolidated  Third,  were  Sam- 
uel H.  Aten.  George  Boardman,  Harrison  Rurkhart,  William  P. 
Burns,  Hugh  R.  Creighton,  Albert  P.  Finley,  Robert  Garner,  John 
Green,  John  King,  Theodore  W.  IMcDaniel,  George  F.  Pyle,  Henry 
Sinunerman  and  John  Simmerman.  Andrew  J.  Walker  served  in 
Company  K. 

Joseph  E.  ]McKinstrey  was  a  corporal  in  Company  A,  Fourth 
Ca^•all•y;  William  Douglas  was  a  member  of  Company  D.  and  Wil- 
liam Crooks,  who  enlisted  in  Company  K,  was  promoted  to  sergeant- 
major. 

In  the  Seventh,  which  Mas  mustered  in  at  Camj)  Rutler  in  August, 
18(51,  Charles  Butcher  and  William  Butcher  were  unassigned  recruits 
credited  to  Stark  Comity. 

Twenty  Stai-k  Comity  men  were  enrolled  in  the  Ninth.  Chris- 
to])lu'r  Flanagan,  Thomas  Flanagan.  Henry  Lewis.  Samuel  R.  Lewis, 
•John  C.  Shaw,  Patrick  Smith  and  John  Stokes  were  privates  in  Com- 
])anv  H ;  J.  O.  H.  Spinney  was  promoted  to  the  captaincy  of  Com- 
pany K;  John  Jamison  and  Francis  ]M.  Lamper  served  as  sergeants 
m  the  same  company,  in  MJiich  the  following  were  enrolled  as  privates: 
Fowler  Rryant,  E.  AV.  Curtis,  Frank  U.  Doyle.  Thomas  A.  Foster, 
Wesley  F.  Foster,  Francis  Griswold,  Christopher  Handley,  John  S. 
Hayden,  William  S.  Luce,  Henry  IMcKibbon,  Isaac  ]Moon,  iSIartin 
Shay  (imassigned  recruit),  James  Sherlock,  James  ]M.  Stanley,  Her- 
man D.  Sturm.  C.  :VI.  Wheeler,  William  F.  Wheeler. 

Andrew  Caldwell  enlisted  in  Company  C  of  the  Eleventh  Cavalry; 
William  A.  Glaze  was  a  member  of  Company  M,  and  Baxter  ]M. 
]Mahany  was  an  unassigned  recruit. 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  157 

In  the  Twelfth  Cavahy  were  Corporal  Joseph  E.  JNIcKinstrey 
and  William  Douglas,  who  ^\ere  transferred  from  the  Fourth,  and 
Joseph  Johnson. 

De\Vitt  C.  Recce  was  a  member  of  Company  A,  and  Isaac  Dennis 
of  Company  M,  Fourteenth  Cavalry. 

AliTII.I.EUY 

In  Comi)any  A,  Second  Fight  Artillery,  were  twenty-three  men 
credited  to  Stark  County.  Harvey  I'ierce  was  a  corporal  and  the 
following  served  as  privates:  Morris  Ayres,  William  Beers,  Joseph 
G.  Bloomer,  Alva  \V.  Brown,  Stephen  W.  Carney,  John  Cox,  Clem- 
ens R.  Defendener,  Albert  Eagan.  Samuel  Eagan.  Thomas  J.  Ellis. 
David  X.  Iliffner,  Charles  X.  Hull,  John  Hull.  Nathan  H.  Hull, 
Emanuel  Kissel,  Calvin  Rockwell,  Hugh  Stockner,  John  R.  Stratton, 
Charles  Thomas,  Lorenzo  K.  Wiley,  INLirshall  Winn,  Warren  Winn. 

In  the  Marine  Artillery  were:  John  J.  Campbell,  Dennis  Clark, 
James  \V.  Dexter.  Samuel  Dyer.  Andrew  Gall)raith,  ]Marion  (God- 
frey, James  Hall.  John  Ilotchkiss.  Joiiii  I^al)arr,  Henry  ]Marchant, 
Charles  IMaxfield,  Jeptha  ^Nlosher,  John  H.  Parks,  Carleton  Rhodes, 
Isaac  Whitaker,  Oliver  White,  JMarshall  Winn  and  Warren  Winn. 

The  two  last  named  in  the  above  paragraph  were  transferred  from 
the  Second  I^ight  iVrtillery,  and  ^Villiam  Cross  and  George  Rouse 
served  in  the  First  United  States  Artillery. 

There  were  also  a  few  Stark  County  men  who  served  in  regiments 
belonging  to  other  states  or  in  the  regular  army.  Upon  the  official 
muster  I'olls  a  name  now  and  then  is  marked  as  a  "deserter."  but  the 
percentage  of  this  class  is  no  larger  than  that  of  the  other  counties, 
and  in  fact  not  so  large  as  many  of  them.  In  whatever  arm  of  the 
service — infantry,  cavalry,  artillery  oi-  the  navy — the  Stark  County 
boys  as  a  rule  rendered  a  good  account  of  themselves,  and  the  peoi)le 
of  the  ])resent  genei-ation  hold  in  grateful  remembrance  the  valor  and 
patriotism  of  the  "Boys  in  Blue,"  as  is  witnessed  by  the  monument 
erected  to  the  memory  of  the  Stark  County  soldiers  and  sailors  upon 
the  north  side  of  the  ])ublic  square  in  Toulon. 

A  Stark  County  Soldiers'  IMonument  Association  was  organized 
at  Toulon  on  the  last  day  of  October,  18G7,  by  Dr.  J.  C.  Copestake, 
Capt.  J.  M.  Brown,  Andrew  Galbraith  and  others,  but  no  record  can 
be  found  of  its  further  proceedings.  Early  in  the  year  1901  the  board 
of  su])ervisors  took  up  the  question  of  ajijH-opriating  a  sum  of  money 
for  the  ])urpose  of  erecting  a  monument  to  commemorate  the  services 
of  the  soldiers  and  sailors  who  went  out  from  the  countv^  during  the 


158  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

dark  days  of  the  nation  from  1861-6.3.  George  T.  Oliver,  3Iordecai 
Rc'vier  and  W.  ii.  JJallentine  Avere  appointed  a  eoniniittee  to  select  a 
design,  ascertain  the  cost,  and  report. 

The  committee  reported  on  INIarch  1,  1901,  in  favor  of  the  design 
suhmitted  by  Messrs.  Drummond,  of  Bradford,  and  Teets,  of  Wyo- 
ming, the  monnment  to  cost  $:$,()()()  complete.  The  report  Avas  ap- 
]>i()ved  l)y  the  hoard  and  on  the  same  day  it  was  ordered  that  "the  sum 
of  .$3,000  be  set  aside  and  appropriated  out  of  the  county  tax  levied 
for  the  year  1900  for  the  purpose  of  erecting  a  soldiers'  monument 
for  Stark  County." 

Xot  long  afterward  the  contract  was  formally  awarded  to  Drum- 
mond &  Teets  and  the  work  was  commenced.  On  September  3,  1901, 
the  clerk  was  ordered  to  draw  a  warrant  for  $3,000  in  favor  of  Drum- 
mond &  Teets,  to  be  payable  when  the  monument  was  completed  and 
accepted  by  the  committee.  The  monument  was  dedicated  on  Thurs- 
day, June  12,  1902.  Gen.  William  G.  Cochran,  of  Sullivan,  111.,  who 
had  been  engaged  to  deliver  the  address,  failed  to  make  his  appearance 
and  the  principal  speech  was  made  by  Gen.  Thomas  J.  Henderson, 
who  followed  George  T.  Oliver,  the  chairman  of  the  board  of  super- 
visors, in  an  address  of  welcome,  in  which  he  presented  the  monument 
to  the  countj'. 

The  monument  is  a  handsome  specimen  of  the  sculptor's  art;  an 
imposing  shaft  of  graj'  granite  some  forty  feet  in  height,  surmounted 
by  the  figure  of  an  infantry  soldier  at  parade  rest.  On  the  north  side, 
facing  ]Main  Street,  is  the  inscription  selected  by  the  board  of  su])er- 
visors:  "In  Memory  of  the  Soldiers  and  Sailors  of  Stark  County," 
and  (in  the  reverse  is  the  simple  statement — "Dedicated  June  12, 
1902." 

THE    WORK    AT    HOilE 

W'hile  those  at  the  front  wei'c  imdergoing  the  inconveniences  of 
camp  life,  the  hardships  of  the  long  march  and  the  dangers  of  battle, 
the  friends  they  left  behind  them  were  not  unmindful  of  the  soldier's 
needs.  On  June  10,  1861,  the  board  of  supervisors  ordered:  "Tiiat 
the  sum  of  $3,000  be  appropriated  for  the  pvu'pose  of  uniforming 
volunteer  militia  companies  organized  or  to  be  organized  in  Stark 
County,  at  the  rate  of  $6  per  man,  under  certain  conditions  and 
restrictions.  Also  that  in  the  event  of  immediate  call  of  Ca]itain 
Stuart's  company — the  'Elmira  Rifles' — the  clerk  shall  issue  an  order 
immediately  on  the  treasurer  for  such  amounts  as  shall  be  found  due 
them  by  disbursing  agents,"  etc. 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUXTV  159 

The  next  day,  pursuant  to  a  plan  reported  by  a  committee  pre- 
viously appointed,  a  tax  of  20  cents  on  each  $100  worth  of  projjcrty 
in  the  county  was  levied  for  the  year  1861,  "for  the  purpose  ol'  aiding 
and  assisting  volunteer  soldiers  and  their  families."  One  thousand 
dollars  of  the  money  thus  raised  were  ordered  to  be  set  apart  i'or 
aiding  the  families  of  volunteers  and  the  remainder  to  be  used  for 
uniforms  and  equipment  for  the  men. 

David  McC'ance,  Davis  Lowman  and  Oliver  Whitaker  were 
appointed  a  connnittee  to  take  charge  of  the  disbursements.  On 
December  3,  1861,  this  committee  reported  the  following  disburse- 
ments :  t 


'\'^ 


To  the  Elnura  Rities   (106  men) $  630.00 

To  the  Lafayette  Rifles  (76  men) 456.00 

To  the  Stark  County  Rifles   (77  men) 462.00 

■    For  relief — 

Elmira  Township    86.78 

Goshen  Township 106.87 

Osceola  Township 9.00 

Penn  Township 20.71 

Toulon  Townshij) 70.62 

Valley  Township 12.00 

Total   $1,859.98 

On  June  2,  1862,  the  committee  reported  the  additional  expenditure 
of  $348.45  for  the  relief  of  soldiers'  families.  At  the  September  term 
in  1862  the  supervisors  appropriated  $4,000  for  the  purpose  of  aiding 
the  families  of  volunteers  and  at  the  same  time  directed  the  supervisor 
in  each  townshij)  to  report  the  number  of  families  in  his  jurisdiction, 
the  heads  of  which  were  in  the  army,  when  the  amount  appropriated 
should  be  divided  or  apportioned  among  the  several  townships,  each 
supervisor  to  act  as  disbiu'sing  agent  in  his  township,  though  the  old 
committee  was  continued  to  audit  the  accounts  of  the  supervisors.  A 
bounty  of  $50  was  authorized  to  be  paid  to  each  man  enlisting  from 
Stark  County  and  a  tax  of  5  mills  on  the  dollar  was  levied  for  the 
purpose  of  paying  bounties  and  the  accumulation  of  the  $4,000  relief 
fund.  At  the  next  session  the  supervisors  reported  the  number  of 
families  and  the  fund  was  apportioned  as  follows: 


160  HISTOKV   OF  STAKK  COUNTY 

Elniira  Towii.ship 28  families  $    533.32 

Essex  Townslii]) 33  "  (;28..5(; 

Goshen  Township 20  "  380.9() 

Osceola  Township    37  "  704.70 

Penn  Township   21  "  400.00 

Toulon  Township 33  "  028.50 

\'alley  Township    12  "  228.57 

West  Jersey  Township 26  "  4.95.24 


Total    210  families         $4,000.00 

Of  this  sum  there  was  an  unexpended  balance  on  September  14, 

1803,  but  during  the  winter  the  fund  was  exhausted  and  on  March  14, 

1804,  the  board  ordered  an  appropriation  of  $2,600  for  the  support 
of  soldiers'  families.  On  September  13,  1864,  a  tax  of  50  cents  on 
each  $100  worth  of  property  was  levied  to  pay  boimties  and  aid  the 
families  of  volunteers.  Another  appropriation,  amounting  to  $2,760, 
was  made  on  March  7,  1865,  for  relief  purposes  and  several  years 
after  the  war  was  over  bounties,  the  payment  of  which  had  been  de- 
layed, were  handed  over  to  the  veterans.  For  this  reason  it  is  difficult 
to  state  just  what  sum  was  paid  by  the  county  in  bounties. 

Besides  the  relief  given  by  the  county  in  its  official  capacity,  there 
were  several  organizations  formed  for  the  purpose  of  assisting  the 
families  of  those  who  were  engaged  in  fighting  the  battles  of  their 
country.  The  Soldiers"  Relief  Circle  of  Toulon  \vas  organized  on 
November  12,  1861,  with  Mrs.  Oliver  Whitaker,  president;  JNIrs.  O. 
Gardner,  vice  president;  Miss  F.  JNIarvin,  secretary;  JNlrs.  Calvin 
Eastman,  treasurer;  jNIrs.  P.  M.  Blair,  JMrs.  S.  S.  Kaysbier,  Mrs. 
31.  A.  Fuller  and  ]Miss  R.  AVhite,  committee  on  supplies. 

The  Wyoming  Soldiers"  Relief  Society  was  organized  about  the 
same  time,  with  Mrs.  M.  A.  Hoist,  president;  JNIrs.  A.  G.  Ham- 
mond, secretary;  Miss  Lucy  Butler,  treasui'er;  ]\Iesdames  Isaac 
Thomas,  B.  F.  Foster,  W.  B.  Armstrong.  P.  Pettit,  JMary  Butler, 
J.  AVrigley,  J.  B.  Lashels  and  J.  jNIatthews,  committee  on  collections. 

On  July  27,  1863,  the  women  of  Penn  Township  organized  a 
"Loyal  League,"  with  JMrs.  J.  JNI.  Ricker,  jiresident,  and  JMrs.  S.  S. 
Rockwell,  secretary.  There  were  also  a  number  of  meetings  held  in 
different  parts  of  the  county  for  the  purpose  of  collecting  money  and 
supplies  for  the  families  of  the  boys  in  the  field. 

The  amount  of  aid  extended  by  these  societies  and  spontaneous 
gatherings  cannot  be  ascertained,  and  no  approximate  estimate  can 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  161 

he  made  of  the  assistance  reiulertd  hy  individual  offerings.  ^^^R'n- 
ever  some  sokher's  family  stood  in  need  of  aid  it  was  forthcoming. 
The  sum  thus  eontrihuted  ran  into  thousands  of  dollars,  of  which  no 
account  was  kept.  JNIany  a  basket  of  provisions  found  its  way  to  the 
home  of  some  soldier;  shoes,  clothing,  school  hooks,  etc..  wci-c  ])ro- 
vided  for  soldiers'  children;  sons  and  daughters  of  volunteers  were 
given  preference  in  the  matter  of  employment  hy  loyal  citizens,  and 
in  many  other  ways  relief  was  afforded  to  those  who  had  sent  their 
loved  ones  to  the  defense  of  the  Union. 


CHAPTER  X 
INTERNAL  IMPROVEMENTS 

EARLY  CONDITIONS  IN  STARK  COUNTY — DIFFICULTIES  OF  EARLY  TRAVEL 

INDIAN  TRAILS PUBLIC  HIGHWAYS KNOXVILLE  &  GALENA  STATE 

KOAD FIRST     ROAD     DISTRICTS     AND     SUPERVISORS PETITIONS     AND 

VIEAVERS 5JODERN     HIGHAVAYS STATE     HIGHWAY     COMMISSION  — 

STATE   INTERNAL   IMPROVEMENTS ILLINOIS   &  MICHIGAN   CANAL 

ACT  OF  1836 — L.UJGE  APPROPRIATIONS  FOR  RIVER  IMPROVEMENTS 
AND  RAILROADS THE  RAILROAD  ERA WESTERN  AIR  LINE AMER- 
ICAN CENTRAL CHICAGO,  ROCK  KLAND  &  PACIFIC CHICAGO,  BUR- 
LINGTON &  QUINCY CHICAGO  &  NORTHWESTERN VALUE  OF  RAIL- 
ROAD PROPERTY  IN  THE  COUNTY. 

In  this  year  1916  of  the  Christian  era,  when  a  citizen  of  Stark 
County  has  occasion  to  visit  the  county  seat,  or  make  a  short  journey 
into  some  of  the  adjacent  counties,  it  is  a  comparatively  easy  matter 
to  step  into  his  automohile  and  glide  along  over  a  public  highway  to  his 
destination.  Should  it  be  necessary  for  him  to  take  a  longer  journej', 
he  can  take  his  seat  in  a  reclining  chair  car  or  a  Pullman  coacli  on 
one  of  the  great  railway  systems  of  the  country  and  be  transported 
across  the  land  at  the  rate  of  fifty  or  sixty  miles  an  hour.  But  does 
he  ever  pause  to  consider  hoA\-  all  these  conveniences  were  brought 
about  for  his  comfort  and  acconmiodatif)n.  I^et  him  for  a  moment 
draw  upon  his  imagination  for  the  conditions  that  existed  in  what  is 
now  Stark  County  when  Isaac  B.  Essex  and  his  earlj-  neighboi's  came 
to  the  Spoon  River  Valley  in  1829. 

Then  all  this  region  was  "fresh  from  the  hands  of  Nature."  Along 
the  stream  still  known  as  Indian  Creek  the  Pottawatomi  villages  were 
to  be  seen,  the  men  hunting  where  now  are  cultivated  fields  and  the 
squaws  raising  some  corn  and  a  few  other  vegetables  in  a  desultory 
sort  of  way.  Through  the  groves  and  across  the  prairies  prowded  the 
wolf,  and  the  oidy  white  men  were  the  hunters,  trappers  or  agents  of 
the  great  fur  companies  who  came  at  intervals  to  catch  the  fur-bearing 
animals  or  trade  with  the  Indians.    No  roads  had  yet  been  opened  for 

162 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  163 

the  white  man's  travel  and  the  pioneers  eanic  with  the  ox  teams  and 
"prairie  schooners,"  i>nidin^'  their  way  l)y  the  sun  and  "f()Uowin<>-  tlie 
line  of  least  resistance."'  Streams  were  unhridgcd,  and  it  was  no  un- 
usual thing  for  a  jjarty  of  immigrants  to  reach  the  bank  of  an  ordi- 
narily insignificant  creek  to  find  it  swollen  by  recent  rains  and  wait 
for  the  waters  to  subside  before  they  could  continue  their  journey. 
Through  the  forests  or  over  the  jjrairies  wound  an  occasional  Indian 
trail.  These  trails  were  the  only  thoroughfares  and  they  were  only 
narrow  paths,  the  Indians  always  traveling  in  single  file.  A  man  on 
horseback  might  follow  one,  but  they  were  practically  useless  to  the 
man  with  a  team  and  vehicle.  However,  the  red  man's  trail  ])ossessed 
some  advantages.  They  led  as  directly  from  one  point  to  another  as 
the  nature  of  the  ground  permitted,  and  they  struck  the  streams  at 
the  best  possible  fording  places. 

\\'hen  the  first  wliite  men  came  to  Stark  County  the  nearest  land 
offices  were  at  Q>iincy  and  (ialcna,  and  tliither  they  must  go  to  enter 
tlieir  lands.  3Irs.  Siui]lenl)erger  descril)es  these  journeys  to  the  land 
offices  as  being  made  "with  no  roads,  no  bridges,  no  places  of  shelter, 
notliing  to  direct  their  course  save  the  sun  and  wind  (which  latter 
would  sometimes  sadly  deceive  tliem  by  an  unnoticed  change),  and 
sometimes  an  Indian  trail;  these  were  reliable  guides  wherever  they 
existed,  and  were  followed  witii  perfect  confidence  by  the  true  back- 
woodsmaUi" 

In  the  early  part  of  the  nineteentli  century  a  few  adventiu-ous 
individuals  liad  clustered  around  the  lead  mines  at  Galena  and  there 
was  a  small  settlement  where  the  City  of  Peoria  now  stands.  The 
fii-st  road  to  pass  through  what  is  now  Stark  County  was  that  known 
as  "Kellogg's  Trail,"  which  ran  by  a  "devious  way"  from  Peoria  to 
the  lead  mines.  It  was  opened  in  182.),  but  after  a  lapse  of  foin-  score 
and  ten  years  it  is  impossible  to  descril)e  the  i-oute  it  followed,  as  there 
Mas  neither  bridge,  ferry  nor  white  man's  habitation  along  the  entire 
distance. 

A\^iiere  the  Indian  trails  could  be  widened  for  the  passage  of 
vehicles  they  were  used  by  the  first  settlers  until  better  highways  could 
be  constructed.  The  first  roads  made  by  civilized  man  were  crude 
aflf'airs — generally  a  route  marked  out  at  will,  the  trees  blazed  through 
the  woodlands,  Mith  liere  and  there  some  of  the  timber  removed  to 
permit  the  ])assage  of  wagons.  They  nearly  always  passed  from  one 
grove  to  another,  the  groves  being  marked  places  and  serving  as  land- 
marks or  guides  to  the  strange  traveler.  Low  places  were  filled  \\ith 
small  logs,  thrown  crosswise  of  the  driveway,  thus  forming  the  famous 


164  HISTOllV   OF  STAllK  COL'XTY 

old  "corduroy"  road,  which  Avas  neither  easy  on  the  team  nor  com- 
fortable lor  the  driver,  but  it  kept  the  wagon  from  '"miring  down." 

PUBLIC    HIGHWAYS 

Prol)ably  the  first  thoroughfare  in  Stark  County,  to  be  established 
by  official  authority,  was  the  state  road  running  from  Knoxville  to 
Galena.  From  Knoxville  it  followed  a  generally  northeastern  direc- 
tion until  it  struck  the  western  boundary  of  what  is  now  Stark  County 
not  far  from  the  southwest  corner  of  Goshen  Township.  Thence  it 
followed  a  more  easterly  direction,  passing  through  the  grove  south 
of  the  jjresent  City  of  Toulon,  near  the  dwelling  of  Elijah  ]SIcClen- 
ahan.  Si-.,  and  from  there  to  the  grove  near  James  Holgate's.  From 
Holgate's  it  ran  to  Boyd's  Grove,  then  to  Dixon,  where  it  turned 
northward  toward  Galena. 

In  September,  1831,  while  Stark  was  a  part  of  Putnam  County, 
the  authorities  of  that  county  ordered  a  road  to  be  surveyed  and  marked 
from  Hennepin  to  Smith's  Ford  on  the  Spoon  River.  Three  years 
later  the  commissioners  of  Putnam  County  established  road  districts. 
The  Spoon  Kiver  settlement  was  in  District  Xo.  17,  of  which  Sylvanus 
JNIoore  was  appointed  supervisor,  but  that  was  all  that  was  done,  as 
no  roads  were  ever  built  by  Putnam  County  for  the  settlement,  and 
Mr.  ]Moore  really  had  nothing  to  "supervise." 

Stark  County  was  organized  under  the  provisions  of  the  act  of 
March  2,  1839,  and  on  the  .5th  of  April  following  the  first  board  of 
county  commissioners  divided  the  county  into  nine  road  districts  as 
follows : 

District  Xo.  1  included  the  present  townships  of  Elmira  and 
Osceola,  of  which  John  Lyle  was  api)ointed  supervisor. 

District  Xo.  2  was  described  as  "beginning  at  the  northeast  corner 
!of  township  13,  range  7 ;  thence  west  to  the  northwest  corner  of  sec- 
tion 3,  township  13,  range  6:  thence  south  to  the  southwest  corner  of 
section  34:  thence  east  to  the  southeast  corner  of  township  13,  range 
7;  thence  north  to  the  place  of  beginning."  James  Holgate  was  ap- 
pointed supervisor  of  this  district,  ^^hich  included  all  the  present 
Township  of  Penn  and  the  eastern  half  of  Toulon. 

District  X^'o.  3  was  bounded  as  follows:  "Beginning  at  the  north- 
east corner  of  township  12,  range  7;  thence  west  to  the  northwest 
corner  of  section  2,  township  12,  range  6;  thence  south  to  the  south- 
west corner  of  section  3.5,  township  12,  range  6:  thence  east  to  the 
southeast  corner  of  township  12,  range  7,  and  thence  north  to  the 


i 


l;i)AlJ  i:LlLI)L\t-   IN   ^lARK  (  OrXTV 


UBRARY 
UNIVERSITY-OF  ILLINOIS 

URBANA 


HISTORY  OF  STAKK  C'Ol  NTV  165 

place  of  beginning."  This  district  embraced  all  of  Valley  Township 
and  a  strip  two  miles  wide  across  the  eastern  ])art  of  Essex.  \N'hitney 
Smith  was  appointed  supervisor. 

District  No.  4  began  "at  the  southeast  corner  of  section  10,  town- 
ship 12,  range  6;  thence  west  to  the  southeast  corner  of  section  10, 
township  12,  range  .5;  thence  south  to  the  southeast  corner  of  section 
34.;  thence  east  to  the  southeast  corner  of  section  34,  townshi})  12, 
range  (5;  thence  north  to  the  place  of  beginning."  This  district  in- 
cluded sixteen  sections  in  the  southwestern  part  of  Essex  Township 
and  eight  sections  in  the  southeastern  part  of  West  Jersey.  JeflFer- 
son  Trickle,  su]iervisor. 

District  Xo.  .3  connnenced  "at  the  southeast  corner  of  section  10, 
townshii^  12,  range  5;  thence  west  to  the  southwest  corner  of  section 
7;  thence  south  to  the  southwest  corner  of  the  township;  thence  east 
to  the  southeast  corner  of  section  .'34,  township  12,  range  5;  thence 
north  to  the  place  of  begiiming."  This  was  one  of  the  smallest  of  the 
nine  districts,  embracing  a  tract  four  miles  square  in  the  southwestern 
part  of  West  Jersey  Townshi]).  \\'illiam  W.  Webster  was  appointed 
supervisor. 

District  Xo.  0  began  "at  the  southwest  corner  of  section  7,  town- 
ship 12,  range  •>;  thence  east  to  the  southeast  corner  of  section  10; 
thence  north  to  the  northwest  corner  of  section  26,  township  13,  range 
.5;  thence  west  to  the  range  line  between  ranges  4  and  ."5;  thence  north 
to  the  place  of  beginning."  This  district  was  also  four  miles  square, 
including  eight  sections  in  the  northwestern  part  of  West  Jersey 
Townsliip  and  the  same  in  the  southwest  i)art  of  Goshen.  Joseph 
Palmer  was  appointed  supervisor  of  tiiis  disti'iet. 

District  Xo.  7  was  described  as  "beginning  at  the  northwest  corner 
of  townshi])  13,  range  o:  thence  east  to  the  northeast  corner  of  section 
3:  thence  south  four  miles;  thence  west  to  the  range  line,  and  thence 
noith  to  the  place  of  beginning."  These  boundaries  include  a  tract 
four  miles  s(]uare  in  the  northwestern  part  of  (roshen  Townsliip. 
Peter  F.  Miner  was  aijjjointed  supervisor. 

District  X"o.  8  commenced  "at  the  northwest  corner  of  section  20. 
townshi])  13.  range  .5;  thence  south  to  the  southwest  corner  of  section 
11.  townshi])  12,  range  .3;  thence  east  to  the  southeast  corner  of  sec- 
tion 10,  township  12,  range  G;  thence  north  to  the  southwest  corner  of 
section  So.  township  13,  range  (J;  thence  west  to  the  southeast  corner 
of  section  33,  townsiii])  13,  range  (5;  thence  north  to  the  northeast  cor- 
ner of  section  28;  thence  west  to  the  place  of  beginning."  Xo.  8 
included  a  tract  of  eight  sections  in  the  northwest  ])art  of  Essex  Town- 


166  HISTOKY   OF  STARK  COUNTY 

ship;  four  sections  in  the  northeast  corner  of  West  Jersey,  four  sec- 
tions in  the  southeast  corner  of  Goshen,  and  six  in  tlie  southwest 
corner  of  Toulon.    S.  G.  Worley  was  appointed  supervisor. 

District  No.  9  began  "at  the  southwest  corner  of  section  23.  to\\n- 
ship  13,  range  .);  thence  north  to  the  nortliwest  corner  of  section  2; 
thence  east  to  the  northwest  corner  of  section  3,  township  13,  range  6; 
thence  south  to  the  northwest  corner  of  section  27,  and  tlience  west  to 
the  place  of  beginning."  This  district  included  twelve  scjuare  miles  in 
the  northwestern  jiart  of  Toulon  Township  and  eight  square  miles 
in  the  northeastern  part  of  Goshen.  John  ^liller  was  appointed 
supervisor. 

The  same  day  that  these  districts  were  established  it  Mas  ordered 
by  the  board  of  commissioners  "that  each  and  e\ery  able  bodied  man 
sul)ject  to  work  on  the  higinvay  shall  be  required  to  perform  three 
days'  labor  on  the  pul)lic  roads."  But  as  no  roads  had  as  yet  been 
established,  it  is  probable  that  the  "able  bodied"  men  had  an  easy  time 
in  the  year  1839,  so  far  as  work  on  the  public  highways  was  concerned. 

The  first  mention  of  a  public  road  in  the  records  of  Stark  County 
was  on  September  2,  1839.  when  Virgil  Pike  and  tliirty-two  others 
])resented  a  petition  for  the  opening  of  a  road  "commencing  at  the 
east  line  of  the  said  County  of  Stark  in  the  direction  of  Boyd's  Grove 
from  Seely's  Point ;  thence  at  or  near  the  above  mentioned  point  the 
nearest  and  best  route  through  the  neighborhood  of  Cooper's  Defeat 
in  the  direction  of  L.  S.  Dorrance's  mill,  terminating  at  the  state 
road  on  the  line  between  L.  S.  Dorrance  and  Henry  Breese." 

John  Hester,  Joseph  D.  Lane  and  Adam  Perry  were  appointed  to 
"view,  mark  and  locate  said  road,"  which  was  the  first  highway  estab- 
lished by  the  county  authorities.  They  re])orted  in  favor  of  the  road 
on  Deceml)er  3.  1839,  and  the  next  season  the  "able  bodied"  men  in 
that  part  of  the  county  had  something  to  do  in  the  way  of  working  on 
the  highway. 

On  Septeml)er  3,  1839.  John  Hester  and  about  thirty  other  citi- 
zens petitioned  for  a  change  in  the  Knoxville  and  Galena  state  road 
"from  the  east  end  of  Jackson  Street  in  the  Town  of  Lafayette, 
through  township  13,  range  o,"  etc.  ISIyrtle  G.  Brace,  James  Buswell 
and  John  Lyle  were  appointed  to  view  the  route  proposed  by  the 
jietitioners  and  report.    The  change  was  subsequentlv  ordered. 

On  the  same  day  John  Finley  and  others  came  forward  with  a 
petition  asking  for  a  change  in  the  same  road  between  ^Villiam  Hen- 
derson's and  ^Nfassillon.  The  viewers  appointed  for  this  proposed 
change  were  William  Bow-en,  Charles  H.  jNIiner  and  Israel  Stoddard. 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  167 

but  their  report  could  not  be  found  by  the  writer.  Other  petitions 
were  jjresented  at  ahiiost  every  one  of  the  early  sessions  of  the  county 
commissioners,  the  people  of  every  neighborhood  seemingly  being 
anxious  to  secure  a  highway  for  their  accommodation,  whether  the 
other  parts  of  the  county  received  sucli  encouragement  or  not.  I  kittle 
work  was  done  on  these  early  roads.  exce])t  such  as  the  settlers  them- 
selves performed  under  the  road  law  which  required  them  to  perform 
so  many  days'  work  each  year  under  the  direction  of  the  district 
supervisor. 

The  first  roads  did  not  follow  the  section  lines,  but  took  the 
shortest  and  most  available  route  between  the  points  it  was  meant  to 
connect.  Rut  as  the  lands  were  entered  and  settled,  it  became  neces- 
sary to  alter  a  number  of  the  roads,  in  order  to  make  them  conform 
to  the  lines  of  the  official  survey.  On  March  9,  1842,  the  board  of 
commissioners  redistricted  the  county,  making  eleven  road  districts, 
and  levied  a  tax  of  10  cents  on  each  $100  worth  of  property  in  the 
county  for  the  purpose  of  improving  the  roads.  This  is  the  first 
record  of  a  road  tax  in  Stark  County.  In  1914.  the  road  and  bridge 
fund  amounted  to  $44..703.80. 

Within  recen.t  years  quite  a  number  of  the  states  have  adopted  the 
plan  of  supervising  the  construction  and  improvement  of  highways. 
A  state  highway  commission  was  created  in  Illinois  by  an  act  of  the 
Legislature,  approved  June  27,  1913.  The  highway  commissioners 
in  191.5  were:  A.  D.  Gash,  of  Chicago:  S.  E.  Rradt.  of  De  Kalb; 
and  James  P.  Wilson,  of  Polo.  Under  the  new  system  the  state  is 
divided  into  seven  districts,  each  of  which  is  in  charge  of  a  highway 
engineer,  to  whom  all  plans  for  the  improvement  of  roads  must  be 
submitted,  and  there  is  a  chief  engineer  who  has  charge  of  the  entire 
state.  Road  building  in  Illinois  has  not  kept  pace  with  that  of  some 
of  her  sister  states — chiefly  for  lack  of  suitable  material  for  the  con- 
struction of  improved  highways — but  it  is  hoped  that  the  new  system 
will  result  in  giving  to  the  people  a  better  class  of  roads. 

STATE    INTERNAL    IMPKUVE.MENTS 

Although  Stark  Comity  had  not  been  created  when  the  state  in- 
augurated its  gigantic  scheme  for  internal  improvements,  it  came  into 
existence  in  time  to  assist  in  paying  for  the  folly.  One  of  the  first 
great  Avorks  undertaken  was  the  construction  of  the  Illinois  &  iNIich- 
igan  Canal.  It  is  uncertain  who  first  suggested  such  a  canal — to  con- 
nect the  waters  of  Lake  ^Michigan  with  the  ^Mississippi  River — but 


168  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

during  the  War  of  1812  it  was  made  manifest  tliat  some  method  of 
transportation  between  tlie  Great  Lakes  and  the  ^Mississippi  Valley 
was  sorely  needed. 

On  INIarch  30,  1822,  Congress,  in  response  to  a  petition  from  the 
Illinois  Legislatm-e,  granted  to  the  state  a  strip  of  ground  ninety  feet 
wide  on  each  side  of  the  bed  of  tlie  canal.  The  grant  was  accepted  l)y 
the  next  session  of  the  Legislature,  which  appointed  a  board  of  canal 
commissioners,  who  reported  that  the  cost  of  the  canal  would  be  about 
tliree-quarters  of  a  million  dollars.  Subsequent  events  showed  that 
their  estimate  was  far  too  low,  and  they  have  been  charged  with  pur- 
posely making  it  so,  in  order  to  get  the  state  involved  in  its  con- 
struction. 

After  several  futile  efforts  to  get  Congress  to  grant  more  land, 
the  Legislature  passed  the  act  of  January  17.  182.3.  incorporating  the 
"Illinois  &  ]Michigan  Canal  Association,"  with  a  capital  stock  of 
$1,000,000.  None  of  the  stock  was  ever  sold  or  subscribed  and  on 
JNIarch  3,  1827,  Congress  passed  a  bill  granting  to  the  State  of  Illinois 
alternate  sections  of  land  in  a  strip  five  miles  wide  on  each  side  of  the 
proposed  canal.  A  new  canal  board  was  appointed  on  January  12, 
1829,  and  the  new  conmiissioners  announced  that  the  canal  would  cost 
$4,000,000.  The  new  estimate  caused  doubts  in  the  minds  of  many 
of  the  people  as  to  the  advisability  of  the  state's  undertaking  the  cost 
of  the  construction  of  the  canal,  and  some  opposition  to  the  scheme 
developed.  But  the  friends  of  artificial  waterways  argued  that  such 
improvements  had  been  made  in  some  of  the  eastern  states,  notablj'^ 
the  Erie  Canal  in  New  York,  and  that  the  tolls  had  not  only  paid  the 
cost  of  construction  l)ut  also  yielded  a  permanent  income  to  the  state. 
These  advocates  of  internal  improvements  insisted  that  the  people  of 
Illinois  must  bestir  themselves,  if  they  expected  to  see  Illinois  occu^iy 
a  place  in  the  front  rank  of  states. 

After  about  five  years  of  discussion  pro  and  con,  the  Legislature 
in  183(5  authorized  the  governor  to  borrow  $.)00.000  with  wliicli  to 
commence  the  construction  of  the  canal,  giving  tlie  canal  lands  and 
tolls  as  security.  Other  loans  followed  and  by  January  1,  1839, 
nearly  two  millions  of  dollars  had  been  expended.  Then  the  Legisla- 
ture authorized  a  loan  of  $4,000,000  all  at  once.  Some  of  this  money 
was  borrowed  from  tlie  state  school  fund.  Delay  after  delay  followed, 
but  finally,  on  April  10.  1848.  the  canal  boat  "General  Fry"  passed 
through  the  canal  from  Lockpoi-t  to  Chicago,  and  on  the  23d  of  the 
same  month  the  "General  Thornton"  completed  the  trip  the  full  length 
of  the  canal  from  Chicago  to  I^a  Salle.    The  canal  was  finislied.     The 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  169 

tolls  collected  covered  the  operating-  expenses  until  1879,  when  the 
railroads  took  nuich  of  the  freighting  husiness  away  from  the  canal. 
Notwithstanding  tliis,  the  canal  wielded  a  great  inthience  in  the  de- 
velopment of  the  Upper  Illinois  Valley  and  acting  as  a  restraint  upon 
any  imdue  advance  in  railroad  freight  rates. 

The  Illinois  &  ^lichigan  Canal  was  not  really  a  part  of  the  great 
system  of  internal  improvements,  which  had  its  inception  in  the  wave 
of  jjuhlic  sentiment  in  favor  of  huilding  canals  and  turnpike  roads, 
which  swept  over  the  counti'y  in  the  early  '30s.  Before  anything 
definite  along  these  lines  had  heen  done  hy  Illinois,  the  railroad  hegan 
to  make  its  influence  felt  and  pul)lic  sentiment  shifted  to  the  construc- 
tion of  railroads  rather  than  the  huilding'  of  turnpikes.  By  183.5 
several  lines  of  railway  had  been  constructed  in  the  East  and  were 
being  operated  with  success.  The  advocates  of  an  internal  improve- 
ment system  for  Illinois  did  not  pause  to  consider  the  difference  in 
the  density  of  population  and  the  greater  demand  for  common  carriers 
in  the  East,  but,  in  season  and  out  of  season,  urged  the  state  to  make 
large  appropriations  for  the  improvement  of  the  natural  waterways 
and  the  encouragement  of  railroad  building.  As  a  result  of  all  this 
agitation,  the  Legislature  of  183(5  inaugurated  the  state  scheme  of 
internal  improvements  by  making  the  following  ajjpropriations: 

For  River  Improvements — 

Great  \Vabash  River $10().()()() 

Little  Wabash  River .50.000 

Illinois  River 100,000 

Rock  River   100,000 

Kaskaskia  River .50,000 

Total  for  river  improvement $4.00,000 

For  Railroad  Construction — 

From  Cairo  U)  the  Illinois  &  ^Michigan  Canal $3,500,000 

Branch  of  the  above  to  Terre  Haute,  Indiana 0.50.000 

From  iVlton  to  jNIount  Carmel  and  Shawiieetown 1,(100. 000 

Branch  of  the  al)ove  to  the  Cairo  line (JOO.OOO 

Quincy  to  the  Indiana  State  line ' 1,8.50,000 

Peoria  to  ^Varsaw 700.000 

Belleville  to  JNIount  Carmel 1.50,000 

Bloouungton  to  3Iackinaw 3;50,O00 


Total  for  railroads $9,400,000 


Vol.1    —II 


170  HISTORY  OF  STAllK  COUNTY 

111  addition  to  the  above  there  were  appropriations  of  >f'--50,0U0 
for  the  improveiiient  of  the  Great  Western  ^lail  Route  and  $200,000 
to  the  eounties  that  received  no  direct  benefit  from  the  proposed  pubhc 
improvenients,  making  a  grand  total  of  $10/2.50,000.  Several  of  the 
enterprises  contemplated  by  the  bill  were  commenced,  but  none  was 
ever  completed  and  the  money  sunk  in  the  state  system  of  internal 
improvements  was  lost  bej'ond  recovery.  The  railroad  from  Cairo  to 
the  Illinois  &  JMichigan  Canal,  at  La  Salle,  was  afterward  finished  by 
a  company  and  now  forms  a  part  of  the  Illinois  Central,  and  the 
Quiiicy  &  Indiana  State  Line  road  was  built  over  another  route,  after- 
ward becoming  a  part  of  the  Toledo,  ^Vabash  &  Western. 

Charles  ]M.  Thompson,  in  an  article  in  one  of  tlie  Illinois  His- 
torical Collections,  says:  "Within  three  years  the  craze  had  run  its 
course,  leaving  the  people,  as  a  reminder  of  their  folly,  a  debt  that 
hung  over  them  for  decades.  The  impossibility  of  the  scheme  was 
not  revealed  until  the  time  came  when  the  bonds  were  unsalable." 

^^^len  Governor  Ford  was  inaugurated  in  184.2,  the  state  debt 
was  nearly  fifteen  and  a  half  millions  of  dollars.  Stark  County  was 
then  about  three  years  old.  The  only  benefit  this  county  received  from 
the  internal  improvement  scheme  was  under  the  provision  of  section  5 
of  the  act  of  INIarch  2,  1839,  that  the  treasurer  of  Putnam  County 
should  pay  to  the  treasurer  of  Stark  County  the  sum  of  $1.64.5,  with 
interest  at  12  per  cent,  etc.  Putnam  was  one  of  the  counties  that 
received  a  portion  of  the  appropriation  of  $200,000  that  went  to  the 
counties  not  directly  affected  by  the  public  improvements,  her  share 
amounting  to  $9,870.  When  Stark  was  cut  off  she  was  given  one- 
sixth  of  this  sum,  with  accrued  interest.  Upon  demanding  the  money 
from  Putnam  County-,  it  was  learned  that  Amnion  ]Moon,  the  treas- 
urer of  that  county,  had  loaned  the  funds  without  taking  adequate 
security,  though  Stark  finally  received  her  share  of  the  spoils.  It  is 
])robal)le.  however,  that  the  people  paid  back  more  tlian  that  amount 
in  taxes  in  li(iuidatiiig  the  enormous  debt  incurred  through  the  intei'iial 
imiJrovement  scheme. 

THE    RAILROAD   ERA 

The  first  railroad  in  the  United  States  to  be  operated  successfully 
was  a  line  about  nine  miles  in  length,  running  from  the  City  of  ^Nlaiich 
Chunk,  Pa.,  to  some  coal  mines.  Within  a  few  years  men  of  sagacity 
and  foresight  realized  that  the  railroad  was  destined  to  become  an 
inijiortant  factor  in  the  development  of  the  country,  and  the  people 
of  the  AVest  began  to  offer  every  encouragement  to  their  introduc- 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  C'OUXTV  171 

tion.  The  proposition  was  not  favored  unanimously,  however,  but 
met  with  consideralile  opposition,  some  of  wliieh  merely  insisted  that 
flnaneial  aid  be  withliehl  until  the  eountry  was  in  better  eondilion, 
while  other  opposition  was  unquestionably  based  upon  prejudice. 
About  1880  some  young  men  of  Lancaster,  Ohio,  formed  themselves 
into  a  debatin<>'  society  and  reijuested  the  school  board  to  permit  them 
to  use  the  schoolhouse  to  discuss  the  railroad  question.  To  this  request 
tiie  board  made  the  followiny;  reply: 

"We  are  \villini>'  to  allow  you  the  use  of  the  schoolhouse  to  debate 
all  jiroper  questions  in,  but  such  subjects  as  railroads  are  rank  in- 
fidelity and  not  tit  to  be  discussed  in  a  building  erected  for  the  purpose 
of  educating  our  children.  If  the  ^Vlmighty  had  intended  tor  His 
creatures  to  travel  across  the  face  of  the  country  at  the  frightful  speed 
of  fifteen  miles  an  hour,  he  would  clearly  have  foretold  it  through  His 
holy  projjhets.  It  is  a  device  of  Satan  to  lead  immoi-tal  souls  down  to 
hell." 

Despite  the  objections  of  the  Lancaster  School  Board,  and  otiiers 
of  that  class,  railroad  building  went  on.  Each  year  found  more  people 
interested  and  willing  to  vote  aid  to  secure  a  railroad  through  theii- 
respective  comnuuiities.  And  the  railroad  that  today  could  not  run 
its  trains  at  a  greater  rate  of  speed  than  the  "frightful  fifteen  miles  an 
liour"  so  feared  by  the  Ohio  school  board,  would  neither  receive  nor 
deserve  a  large  amount  of  patronage. 

WESTERN    AIK    LINE 

The  first  railroad  project  to  interest  the  people  of  Stark  County 
was  the  Western  Air  Line  Railroad,  which  was  first  mentioned  in 
18.50.  After  about  three  years  of  ]ireliminary  work,  the  County 
Court,  on  June  0,  18.>.'},  took  the  following  action: 

"Whereas,  it  has  been  represented  to  this  court  that  it  would  be 
for  the  welfare  and  advantage  of  Stark  County,  and  that  the  citizens 
thereof  are  desirous  that  said  county  sliould  subscribe  to  the  capital 
stock  of  the  'Western  Air  Line  Railroad  Company'  to  aid  in  the  con- 
struction of  said  road ;  it  is  therefore 

"Ordered  by  the  court  tliat  an  election  be  held  in  the  several  town- 
ships in  said  county  on  the  13th  day  of  August  next,  at  the  usual 
places  of  holding  elections  or  town  meetings  in  said  towns,  for  the 
purpose  of  voting  for  or  against  the  subscri])ti()n  by  the  said  County 
of  Stark  to  the  capital  stock  of  the  said  'Western  Air  Line  Railroad 
Company'  of  the  amount  of  $.J0.000.    Bonds  to  be  issued  for  said  sum 


172  lllSTOUV  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

(in  case  a  majority  of  the  legal  voters,  as  required  l)y  law,  shall  vote 
for  said  subscription)  running  twenty  years  and  bearing  (J  per  cent 
interest,  by  the  proper  authorities  under  the  laws  of. the  state. 

"And  it  is  further  ordered  that  the  clerk  give  notice  as  required 
by  law.  The  bonds  to  be  issued  on  condition  that  said  road  shall  run 
througii  the  central  part  of  the  county,  as  near  as  practicable." 

The  result  of  the  election  was  o'.H  votes  in  favor  of  the  stock  sub- 
sciiption  and  141  against  it.  About  a  month  after  the  election  the  old 
county  court  was  superseded  by  the  board  of  supervisors  and  nothing 
further  was  done  concerning  the  railroad  stock  until  July  31,  18,55. 
The  minutes  of  the  supervisors'  meeting  for  that  date  show  that  it  was 

"Ordered  that  the  chairman  of  the  board  of  supervisors  he,  and 
he  is  hereby,  authorized  to  subscribe  $.50,000  to  the  cajjital  stock  of  the 
Western  Air  Line  Railroad,  and  that  the  clerk  be  authorized  to  issue 
to  said  company  $.50,000  of  the  bonds  of  Stark  County,  payable  in 
twenty  years  from  the  date  hereof,  bearing  interest  at  the  rate  of  0 
per  cent  per  annum,  payable  at  such  place  as  said  company  maj^  desig- 
nate. Said  bonds  may  be  in  such  sums  as  may  he  designated  by  said 
company,  not  less  than  $1,000  each,  and  shall  have  coupons  attached, 
which  said  bonds  and  coupons  shall  be  signed  by  the  chairman  of  this 
board  and  attested  by  the  clerk,  with  the  seal  of  the  county  attached 
thereto." 

Pursuant  to  this  order,  fifty  bonds  of  $1,000  each  were  issued  and 
turned  over  to  the  railroad  company  by  William  W.  Webster,  chair- 
man of  the  board  of  supervisors,  and  JNliles  A.  Fuller,  clerk,  who 
received  for  the  county  $50,000  in  stock  of  the  company.  The  gen- 
eral offices  of  the  company  were  established  at  Lacon.  the  county 
seat  of  ^larshall  County.  At  the  amuial  meeting  of  the  stockholders 
in  1850,  Mr.  \Vebster  cast  the  vote  of  Stark  County.  The  next  year 
Isaac  Thomas  cast  the  county's  vote.  The  meeting  of  1858  was  lield 
on  the  'id  of  IMarch.  The  day  before  the  meeting  the  board  of  super- 
visors appointed  Isaac  Thomas  to  cast  the  vote  for  the  county,  and 
instructed  him  to  vote  for  Dr.  Thomas  Hall  for  director. 

Like  many  of  the  early  railroad  enter])rises  in  the  West,  the 
Western  Air  Line  never  became  a  reality.  The  bonds  issued  by  Stark 
County  produced  more  litigation  than  miles  of  railroad.  In  .July, 
1858,  the  board  of  supervisors  appointed  T.  F.  Hurd  to  obtain  legal 
a(l\ice  as  to  whether  the  county  was  legally  bound  to  pay  the  bonds, 
and  in  September  following  the  board  adopted  a  resolution  declaring 
"that  the  board  deems  it  advisable  to  decline  paying  the  interest  now 
d>ie."     \y.  \y.  ^Vinslow  was  authorized  to  tender  the  certificates  of 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  173 

stock  lulcl  l)y  the  county  to  the  railroad  company  and  demand  in 
return  the  bonds  issued  by  the  county.  The  offer  was  declined  and 
on  September  1.5,  18.58,  Olai"  Johnson  tiled  suit  against  the  county  for 
the  amount  of  interest  due.  In  the  Circuit  Court  the  suit  was  dis- 
missed, whereupon  Johnson  carried  it  to  the  Suprenje  Court,  wliere  a 
decision  was  rendered  in  April,  18(il,  ordering  Stark  County  to  pay 
both  principal  and  interest  of  the  bonds. 

AMEUICAN    CEXTKAL    KAIEKOAU 

Some  work  was  done  on  the  proposed  line  by  the  Western  Air 
Line  Company.  Says  Mrs.  Shallenberoer:  "In  Sei>tember,  18.).>, 
the  'breakin<^-  gromid'  was  celebrated  at  Toulon  by  a  public  dinner  on 
the  square  and  appropriate  speeches.  Great  enthusiasm  prevailed  and 
a  good  portion  of  the  vast  assemblage  afterward  adjourned  to  the 
prairie  east  of  town  to  see  the  first  shovelful  of  earth  thrown  up  on 
the  much  desired  road." 

In  the  suit  of  Johnson  vs.  Stark  County,  it  was  shown  that  about 
eighty  miles  of  the  road  bed  had  been  graded  and  made  ready  for  the 
ties  and  rails.  Some  of  tlie  ])eople  of  Stark  County  were  not  willing 
to  see  all  this  work  go  to  waste,  hence  a  new  company,  known  as  the 
American  Central  Railroad  Company,  was  organized  to  succeed  the 
Western  Air  Line.  \Villiam  Lownian,  of  Toulon,  was  chosen  treas- 
urer, and  ^^'illiam  F.  Thomas,  of  Wyoming,  was  one  of  the  directors. 
The  new  company  was  no  more  successful  than  its  predecessor  and 
after  a  short  time  the  interest  in  the  effort  to  build  a  railroad  waned 
and  the  project  was  abandoned. 

CHICAGO,    liOCK    ISLAND    &    PACIFIC 

On  March  7,  18()7.  a  charter  was  granted  to  the  Peoria  l\;  Rock 
Island  l{ailroad  Com])any  to  build  a  railroad  between  the  points 
named.  The  new  comi)any  acquired  the  right  of  way  of  the  old  ^^''est- 
ern  Air  I^ine  for  $-27,(H)()  and  began  making  active  ])reparations  for 
construction.  Xew  encouragement  was  thus  given  to  the  jieople  of 
Stark  County  and  on  ^Vugust  2(\,  18(;7,  a  railroad  meeting  was  held  in 
Toulon.  Charles  JNIyers  presided  and  Oliver  ^VIlite  acted  as  secretary. 
Resolutions  indorsing  the  proposed  railroad  were  adopted  and  Pat- 
rick JSI.  Blair,  Benjamin  Turner,  Martin  Shallenberger,  Davis  Low- 
man  and  Oliver  Whitaker  were  appointed  a  committee  to  formulate 
and  present  a  i)lan  by  which  the  county  could  aid  in  building  the  road. 


174  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

^At  a  second  meeting,  Novemhei-  9,  18(57,  resolutions  pledging 
Toulon  Township  to  subscribe  -^.50,000  to  the  capital  stock  of  the 
company  were  adopted  and  JNIiles  A.  Fuller,  JNIartin  Shallenberger 
and  Davis  Lowman  were  appointed  a  committee  to  solicit  subscrip- 
tions to  the  stock  fund.  Three  days  later  the  first  board  of  directors 
was  elected.  ^Villiam  R.  Hamilton  was  chosen  president;  Patrick  M. 
Blair,  vice  president;  C.  P.  James,  secretary;  and  H.  ]M.  ^Vheeler, 
treasurer. 

On  November  22,  1867,  a  large  number  of  the  citizens  of  Toulon, 
Penn,  Essex  and  Valley  townshi])s — through  which  it  was  supposed 
the  road  would  pass — assembled  at  ^Vyoming  to  consider  the  question 
of  granting  financial  assistance  to  the  company.  H.  A.  Hoist  pre- 
sided and  Dr.  J.  C.  Copestake  was  elected  secretary.  A  motion  to 
appoint  a  committee  on  resolutions,  consisting  of  two  from  each  town- 
ship, was  carried  and  the  following  were  appointed:  Toulon,  John 
Wrigley  and  Isaac  Thomas;  Essex,  A.  G.  Hammond  and  C.  H. 
Butler;  Penn,  Charles  Holgate  and  George  Nicholas;  Valley,  Thomas 
Crone  and  Elisha  Dixon.  The  committee  offered  a  resolution  pledg- 
ing each  of  the  townships  to  subscribe  $.50,000,  which  was  adopted. 

About  this  time  the  survey  of  the  road  was  completed  through  the 
county  and  it  was  discovered  that  it  did  not  touch  Penn  Township. 
Instead  it  passed  through  Goshen  and  on  January  27,  1868,  an  elec- 
tion was  held  in  the  townships  of  ^^alley,  Essex,  Toulon  and  Goshon  on 
the  question  of  subscribing  the  stock  recommended  bv  the  Wyoming 
meeting  the  preceding  November.  The  proposition  carried,  though 
Valley  Township  voted  only  $30,000.  The  lesson  of  the  old  Western 
Air  Line  bonds  was  not  lost  on  the  people  of  Stark  County,  and  in  the 
case  of  the  Peoria  &  Rock  Island  the  l)onds  issued  by  the  townships 
were  safeguarded  by  such  conditions  that  default  on  the  part  of  the 
company  w-as  impossible. 

Work  on  the  road  was  commenced  in  the  spring  of  1869  and  early 
in  June,  1871,  the  fii'st  train  arrived  at  Toulon.  Although  it  was 
only  a  construction  train,  the  occasion  was  one  of  rejoicing  on  the 
part  of  the  denizens  of  the  town,  and  the  incident  was  celebrated  by 
a  big  dinner  served  in  Judge  Ogle"s  grove,  at  whicli  the  officials  and 
em])loyes  of  the  railroad  company  were  invited  guests.  The  first 
regular  passenger  train  passed  over  the  road  on  July  8,  1871.  Pre- 
vious to  that  time  the  Peoria  &  Rock  Island  Railroad  Company  had 
formed  a  consolidation  with  the  Rock  Island  tV  Pacific.  The  road  is 
now  known  as  the  Peoria  &  Rock  Island  division  of  the  great 
Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  svsteni. 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  175 

CHICAGO,  BURLINGTON  .*;.  QUINCY 

Tlie  branch  of  this  great  system  whicli  runs  tln-ough  Stark  County 
had  its  inception  in  18.3.5,  in  the  Peoria  &  Hannibal  Raih-oad,  of 
which  James  H.  Stipp  was  the  principal  projector.  Some  tive  or 
six  years  later  Mr.  Stipp,  on  behalf  of  his  company,  gave  a  perpetual 
lease  to  James  F.  Joy  and  E.  R.  Ward,  agents  of  the  Chicago.  Hur- 
lington  &  Quincy,  with  the  stipulation  that  the  line  would  be  com- 
pleted and  operated  by  that  company.  Early  in  1869  the  road  was 
finished  and  trains  were  running  between  Canton  and  Rushville.  The 
Ime  was  then  called  the  Peoria,  Dixon  &  Hannibal  Railroad.  About 
that  time  the  townships  of  Osceola,  Penn,  Yalley  and  Essex,  in 
Stark  County,  took  up  the  question  of  granting  some  financial  aid 
to  the  company,  in  order  to  hasten  the  completion  of  the  road. 

In  this  work  Ur.  Alfred  Castle,  of  Wyoming,  was  one  of  the 
leading  spirits.  Through  the  influence  of  him  and  his  associates, 
lil)eral  subsidies  were  granted  and  the  work  was  pushed  with  such 
viaor  that  before  the  close  of  the  year  the  line  had  crossed  the  boun- 
dary  of  Stark  County  being  the  first  railroad  in  the  county.  In  1870 
it  was  finished  to  Ruda.  where  it  connects  with  the  main  line  of  the 
Chicago.  Rurlington  i<c  Quincy  system.  It  is  now  known  as  the  Ruda 
6c  Rushville  branch.  It  passes  through  Essex,  Toulon,  Penn  and 
Osceola  townships,  the  Stark  County  stations  on  the  road  being  Dun- 
can, Wyoming,  Castleton,  Bradford  and  Lombardville. 

CHICAGO    &    NORTHWESTERN 

About  the  close  of  the  nineteenth  century  the  Chicago  &  North- 
western Railroad  Company  decided  to  build  a  branch  from  some  point 
on  the  main  line  to  Peoria.  After  surveying  several  routes  the  one 
decided  upon  was  from  Nelson,  six  miles  west  of  Dixon  on  the  main 
line,  southward  through  Lee,  Bureau,  Marshall  and  Stark  counties. 
No  subsidies  were  asked  by  the  railroad  company,  the  right  of  way 
was  ])urchased.  construction  commenced  and  in  1902  the  road  Avas 
com]jlete  and  in  running  order.  From  Ruda  to  the  Stark  Comity 
line  it  runs  almost  parallel  to  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Rail- 
road. Upon  reaching  the  northern  boundary  of  Stark  County  it  veers 
slightly  eastward,  crossing  the  northeast  corner  of  Osceola  Townshi]) 
and  entering  ^Marshall  County.  Just  south  of  Camp  Grove  it  again 
turns  tf)ward  the  west  and  re-enters  Stark  County  in  section  12,  Yalley 
Township.     It  crosses  the  southern  boundary  of  the  county  about 


176  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

three-fourths  of  a  mile  west  of  the  southeast  corner.  Two  stations 
have  heen  established  in  Stark  County  by  the  Chicago  k  Northwestern 
Railroad  Company — Morse,  in  the  northeast  corner  of  Osceola  Town- 
ship, and  Speer,  in  the  southeastern  part  of  Valley  Township. 

Two  townships  of  Stark  Comity — Elmira  and  ^Vest  Jersey — 
are  without  raili'oads.  In  the  other  six  the  valuation  of  railroad 
property  is  as  follows:  Essex,  $116,382;  Goshen,  $63,428;  Osceola, 
$107.02'9;  Penn,  $78,3.54;  Toulon,  $82,644;  Valley,  $77,881.  This 
total  of  $.52.5,718  is  the  value  as  fixed  for  tax  purposes,  but  it  is  far 
below  the  real  value  of  the  property. 


CHAPTER  XI 
FINANCE  AND  INDUSTRY 

PUBLIC    REVENUES PROPERTY    VALUES PRINCIPAL    FUNDS    RAISED    BV 

TAXATION — BANKING      INSTITUTIONS GENERAL      HISTORY EARLY 

BANKING    IX     ILLINOIS STARK    COUNTY     BANKS AGRICULTURE. — 

CROP  AND  LIVE  STOCK  STATISTICS — STATE  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE — ■ 
farmers'  INSTITUTES COAL  MINING — .^lANUFACTURING TELE- 
PHONE   COMPANIES. 

There  is  a  story  of  an  old  man  wlio  once  counseled  his  son  tliat 
"The  best  way  to  establish  and  keep  a  good  credit  is  never  to  use  it." 
This  seems  to  have  been  the  ])olicy  of  Stark  County  from  the  time 
of  its  organization  in  1839.  With  the  exception  of  the  railroad  bonds 
mentioned  in  the  preceding  chapter,  and  a  few  county  warrants  to 
cover  a  small  floating  debt  at  times,  the  county  has  never  issued 
promises  to  pay,  but  has  lived  strictly  within  its  income.  And  it  is 
worthy  of  comment  tiiat  during  the  entire  three-quarters  of  a  century 
of  the  county's  corporate  existence  there  has  never  been  a  defalcation 
on  the  part  of  any  public  othcial,  nor  any  serious  charge  of  unusual 
or  unwonted  extravagance  in  the  expenditure  of  public  funds.  ^Vith 
such  a  record  it  is  not  surprising  that  the  county  has  an  uncjuestionable 
reputation  in  the  matter  of  public  credit.  Should  the  authorities  find 
it  necessary  to  issue  bonds,  it  is  an  easy  matter  to  predict  that  they 
Avould  command  a  good  price  in  the  market  and  find  ready  purchasers. 
Few  counties  in  the  United  States — especially  those  that  have  been 
organized  for  three-quarters  of  a  century — can  say,  "We  do  not  owe 
a  single  dollar." 

The  property  values  of  the  several  townships  and  corporations 
in  1914,  as  shown  by  the  official  records,  were  as  follows: 

EJmira  'Township    $    758,198 

Essex  Township   7o().().38 

Goshen  Township   1,()()().249 

Osceola  Township 98.'}, 84.5 

Penn  Township 807,147 

177 


178  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 


rt^ 


Tuulun  Township    1,318,000 

Valley  Township 778,955 

West  Jersey  Township    735,851 

Chicago.  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  R.  R 17(),998 

Chicago,  Rurlington  &  Quincy  R.  R 295,978 

Chicago  &  Northwestern  R.  R 5'2,7i'2 

Total $7,664,621 

In  the  above  table  the  assessed  values  of  the  cities  of  Toulon  and 
AVyoniing  and  the  villages  of  Bradford  and  Lafayette  are  included 
in  the  townships  in  which  they  are  located.  In  the  State  of  Illinois 
the  custom  prevails  of  assessing  property  for  taxation  at  about  one- 
third  of  its  real  value.  AVhen  this  fact  is  taken  into  consideration  it 
will  be  seen  that  the  taxables  of  Stark  County  are  easily  worth,  in 
round  lunnbers,  $24,000,000.  And  even  this  estimate  is  too  low.  Of 
the  184,320  acres  of  land  in  the  county,  the  average  valuation,  based 
upon  recent  actual  sales,  would  be  not  far  from  $200  per  acre.  This 
gives  a  valuation  of  $36,874,000  for  the  lands  alone.  Add  to  these 
figures  the  value  of  improvements,  jiersonal  and  corporation  property, 
moneys  and  credits,  and  the  property  of  the  coimty  «ould  show  a 
valuation  of  fifty  millions  or  more. 

The  total  amount  of  tax  collected  in  1914  was  $213,929.96,  the 
jjrincipal  items  of  Mbich  were  as  follows: 

State  tax $36,800.53 

County  tax 26.070.77 

Road  and  bridge  fund 44,703.80 

School  fund   61,134.03 

Total $168,709.13 

Deducting  the  total  of  these  four  principal  items  from  the  entire 
amount  of  tax  collected  leaves  a  balance  of  $45,220.83  to  be  used  for 
all  other  purposes.  The  tax  rate  upon  the  low  valuation  of  $7,664,621 
is  less  than  3  per  cent,  and  if  the  property  of  the  county  Avere 
appraised  for  tax  purposes  at  its  actual  value,  with  the  same  amount 
of  revenue  collected,  the  rate  of  taxation  would  jirobably  he  the 
lowest  in  the  United  States. 

BANKING   INSTITUTIONS 

A  crude  system  of  banking  was  inaugui-ated  early  in  the  Christian 
era  by   the  "\''enetian   money-changers.     The  Rank  of  Venice   was 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  179 

established  in  117"2  and  continued  in  business  until  1707.  Jewish 
money-lenders  invented  "forei<^ii  bills  of  exchange"  in  the  latter  part 
of  the  thirteenth  century,  but  the  Rank  of  Rarcelona  (established  in 
1401 )  was  the  first  financial  institution  that  made  a  business  of  issuing 
them.  The  Rank  of  Cienoa.  which  commenced  business  in  1407.  was 
the  first  to  issue  notes  that  passed  as  currency.  They  passed  by  en- 
dorsement, however,  not  being  made  "payable  to  bearer."  The  same 
bank  introduced  the  system  of  drawing  against  deposit  accounts  by 
checks.  The  Rank  of  Hamburg  was  opened  in  1619  and  the  Rank 
of  England  in  101)4.  Each  of  the  above  institutions  was  an  iini)rove- 
ment  upon  its  predecessors,  hence  the  business  of  banking  as  conducted 
today  is  the  product  of  nearly  eight  centuries  of  evolution  since  the 
fii'st  organized  bank  was  established  in  Venice. 

The  first  Iianking  house  in  the  Ignited  States  was  formed  l)y  an 
association  of  citizens  of  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania,  June  18.  1780. 
Four  days  later  Congress  passed  an  act  granting  the  association 
authority  to  conduct  a  general  banking  business,  and  two  years  after- 
ward a  "perpetual  charter"  was  granted  to  the  Rank  of  Xo)'th 
America,  located  at  Philadelphia.  In  1784  the  Rank  of  Massachusetts 
was  chartered.  In  the  same  year  the  Rank  of  New  York  commenced 
operations,  but  it  did  not  receive  its  charter  until  1791. 

The  Rank  of  the  United  States  was  established  by  act  of  Congress 
in  1791.  At  first  a  majority  of  the  stock  was  held  by  the  United  States 
Government,  but  this  was  gradually  dis])osed  of  and  the  bank  became 
a  private  corporation.  In  18.'32  a  bill  to  recharter  the  bank  was  vetoed 
by  President  Andrew  Jackson.  This  caused  the  bank  to  lose  a  great 
deal  of  its  prestige  as  a  financial  institution;  the  panic  of  1837  so 
seriously  affected  its  affairs  that  on  October  5,  1838,  it  was  forced 
to  suspend  specie  payments.  iVfter  a  precarious  career  of  about  five 
years  more,  the  bank  finally  closed  its  doors  in  1843. 

Then  came  the  era  of  state  and  ])rivate  banks  which  lasted  until 
the  beginning  of  the  Civil  war.  During  this  period  tlie  country  was 
flooded  l)y  what  l)ecame  known  as  "wild  cat"  banks — that  is,  banks 
established  by  individuals  or  corporations  without  sufficient  capital 
for  successfully  conducting  a  banking  Inisiness  or  adequate  means  for 
meeting  their  obligations.  In  1803  an  act  of  Congress  established  the 
national  banking  system,  and  the  first  comjitroller  of  the  currency  was 
appointed  in  18()4.  In  March,  1800,  another  act  of  Congress  levied 
a  10  ])er  cent  tax  upon  the  note  issues  of  all  state  and  ])rivate  banks 
and  since  that  time  all  paper  currency  in  the  United  States  has  been 
issued  bv  the  Government  or  bv  the  national  l)anks. 


180  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

EAlilA*  I5AXKIXG  IX  ILLINOIS 

One  of  th(^  first  banks  in  Illinois  was  the  Bank  of  Sliawneetown, 
which  was  chartered  by  the  Territorial  Legislature  for  twenty  years, 
beginnino-  on  January  1,  1817.  The  next  year  Illinois  was  admitted 
into  the  Union  as  a  state.  Article  8,  section  21,  of  the  constitution 
adopted  in  that  j^ear  j^i-ovided : 

"There  shall  be  no  other  banks  or  moneyed  institutions  in  this  state 
than  those  already  established  by  law,  except  a  state  bank  and  its 
branches,  which  may  be  established  and  regulated  by  the  General 
Assembly  of  the  state  as  they  may  think  proper." 

From  the  time  the  state  was  admitted  to  al)out  18;J0,  its  experience 
in  banking  was  unpleasant,  if  not  actually  disastrous,  but  in  the  face 
of  necessity  for  some  form  of  circulating  medium  adequate  to  the 
demands  of  business  the  lesson  such  an  experience  should  teach  was 
forgotten.  The  internal  improvement  scheme  was  inaugurated  and  a 
large  amount  of  state  bonds  were  sold  to  construct  the  contemplated 
improvements  authorized.  The  ninth  General  Assembly  provided  for 
a  new  state  bank  with  a  capital  stock  of  $1.. 500.000  and  the  state  was 
given  the  right  to  subscribe  for  ,$100,000  of  the  stock  '^\henever  in 
the  judgment  of  the  General  Assembly  the  condition  of  the  treasury 
Avould  justify  such  action."  The  charter  of  the  state  bank  thus  estab- 
lished was  to  expire  on  January  1,  1860.  At  the  same  session  the 
charter  of  the  old  Bank  of  Sliawneetown,  \\hich  had  been  inactive  for 
ten  years,  was  extended  for  twenty  years  beyond  the  original  date  of 
expiration  (January  1,  1837)  and  the  bank  reorganized  under  the 
name  of  the  Bank  of  Illinois. 

At  the  next  session  of  the  Legislature  the  capital  stock  of  the  State 
Bank  of  Illinois  was  increased  from  $1., 300,000  to^.'J. .500,000,  and 
that  of  the  Bank  of  Illinois  from  $300,000  to  $1,700,000,  the  state 
reserving  the  riglit  to  subscribe  for  all  the  increase  of  the  former  and 
$1,000,000  of  the  latter.  Then  came  the  panic  of  1837,  when  Imth 
.  banks  were  forced  to  suspend  specie  payment.  The  State  Bank  failed 
in  February,  1842,  and  the  Bank  of  Illinois  closed  its  doors  the  follow- 
ing June,  notwithstanding  the  most  liberal  laws  had  been  passed  in 
the  hoj^e  of  keeping  their  heads  above  water. 

The  winter  of  1842-43  was  a  critical  j^eriod  in  the  financial  history 
of  the  state.  The  failure  of  the  l)anks.  in  which  the  state  held  large 
interests,  had  a  depressing  effect  upon  the  public  credit  of  Illinois. 
The  state  debt  was  over  fifteen  millions  of  dollars,  with  interest  past 
due.  and  the  bonds  fell  lielow  par,  selling  sometimes  as  low  as  20  cents 


HlSTOllV   OF  STARK  COUNTY  181 

on  the  dollar.  Without  banks  there  was  a  scareity  of  eirculatinii^ 
iiiediuin  and  all  lines  of  industry  languished.  Many  people  elainied 
that  large  sums  had  been  wasted  in  the  inteiiuil  iiii])rovenient  scheme 
and  in  speculation,  and  advocated  the  repudiation  of  the  debt. 

Stark  County,  then  only  abt)ut  four  years  old.  was  affected  by 
the  existing  conditions.  On  March  8.  1843,  the  board  of  commis- 
sioners ordered:  "That  ^linott  Silliman,  treasurer  of  Stark  County, 
be  employed  and  authorized  to  exchange  the  State  Bank  money  now 
in  the  treasury  of  said  cdunty,  amounting  to  about  sixteen  hundred 
dollars,  for  the  pro  rata  of  s])ecie  ]>aid  by  said  bank,  and  the  balance 
in  certificates  of  State  Bank  indebtedness,  and  that  he  have  the  same 
in  the  treasury'  as  soon  as  practicable." 

jNIr.  Silliman  made  the  exchange,  receiving  .$4()7.31  in  specie  and 
•f  1.147.37  in  certificates  of  indebtedness,  or  a  total  of  $l.(iM.68.  Some 
of  the  certificates  were  paid  out  to  county  officials  "for  services"  at 
the  rate  of  ,50  cents  on  the  dollar,  and  some  time  later  the  state 
redeemed  the  pi-oportion  represented  by  stock  held  in  the  defunct 
l)ank. 

Before  the  state  fully  recovered  from  the  ])amc  of  1837  and  the 
de])ression  caused  by  the  gigantic  internal  imi)rovement  scheme, 
the  second  state  constitution  was  adopted.  Article  10,  section  3,  of  the 
constitution  of  1848  provided  that  "no  state  bank  shall  hereafter  be 
created,  nor  shall  the  state  own  or  be  liable  for  any  stock  in  any  cor- 
poration or  joint  stock  association  for  banking  ])urposes,  to  be  here- 
after created." 

The  constitution  also  provided  that  individual  stock  holders  in 
every  bank  should  be  liable  to  the  full  amount  of  stock  owned  by 
them.  It  was  a  case  of  the  "burnt  child  dreads  the  fire,"  and  the 
framers  of  the  new  constitution  took  the  precautions  to  j^revent  the 
state,  through  its  law  makers,  from  again  commiting  the  folly  of 
becoming  a  stockholder  in  any  banking  institution.  The  provisions 
of  the  constitution  of  1848  were  incorporated  in  the  present  constitu- 
tion when  it  was  adopted  in  1870,  so  far  as  state  ownership  of  bank 
stock  is  concerned. 

STAliK  COUNTY  BANKS 

The  first  bank  in  Stark  County  was  established  at  Toulon  in  1860. 

It  was  known  as  the  Bank  of  Toulon  and  was  conducted  by  the 
fii'm  of  Small  &  Walley,  though  the  real  proprietor  was  Benjamin 
Lombard.  Bonds  of  the  states  of  Georgia  and  South  Carolina  were 
used  as  the  basis*  of  security  for  the  l)ank's  circulation.     When  the 


182  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

bank  failed,  after  a  short  career,  the  holders  of  its  notes  lost  al)out 
25  per  cent  of  their  face  value  and  the  depositors  lost  even  more. 

About  the  close  of  the  Civil  war  Samuel  M.  Dewey,  a  Toulon 
merchant,  began  loaning  money,  and  in  December,  1865,  the  banking- 
house  of  Dewey  &  Rurge  was  oi)ened  on  the  north  side  of  Main  Street, 
nearly  opposite  the  northwest  corner  of  the  public  scjuare.  31r.  Dewey 
died  in  August,  1806,  but  the  firm  of  Dewey  &  Rin-ge  continued  until 
1869,  when  Samuel  Rurge  purchased  the  interest  of  tlie  Dewey  estate. 
In  1875  he  erected  the  building  at  the  northwest  corner  of  ^Slain  and 
Washington  streets  and  removed  the  bank  to  new  (juarters.  Charles 
P.  Dewey,  a  son  of  the  founder,  became  a  partner  in  1870.  The  busi- 
ness is  now  conducted  imder  the  firm  name  of  Dewey,  Rurge  &  Gould, 
the  partners  being  Charles  P.  Dew^ey,  Samuel  D.  Rurge  and  ^Villiam 
E.  Gould.  The  i)aid  up  capital  stock  of  the  bank  is  5*^.50.000.  and  the 
surplus  }f2.5,000,  and  the  deposits  $.500,000. 

The  Exchange  Rank  of  Wyoming  was  opened  in  1869  by  A.  R. 
^liner,  with  Otis  Dyer  as  resident  manager.  After  a  short  time  the 
name  of  Exchange  Rank  was  dropped  and  the  business  was  continued 
under  the  firm  name  of  A.  R.  ]Miner  &  Company.  In  1876  William 
Holgate  and  four  others  purchased  the  interests  of  A.  R.  ]Miner  & 
Company  and  changed  the  name  of  the  institution  to  the  Farmers 
Rank.  The  five  partners  then  conducted  the  bank  as  a  private  con- 
cern until  the  fall  of  1882,  when  it  was  reorganized  as  the  First 
National  Rank  of  Wyoming,  with  James  Holgate,  i)resident:  Wil- 
liam Holgate,  Cyrus  Rocock,  Levi  Silliman,  John  A.  Klock  and 
W.  P.  Ruswell,  vice  presidents;  Andrew  F.  Stickney,  cashier.  It 
began  business  as  a  national  bank  on  jNIarch  15,  1883,  and  continued 
as  such  until  early  in  the  year  1885,  when  it  went  into  voluntary 
liquidation,  the  interests  being  transferred  to  the  banking  house  of 
Scott  &  Wrigley. 

The  Scott  &  Wrigley  Rank  of  Wyoming  commenced  business  as 
a  private  bank  in  1870.  A  few  years  later  H.  A.  Hammond  was 
admitted  to  a  partnership  and  the  firm  took  the  name  of  Scott,  Wrig- 
ley &  Hammond.  In  1910  the  name  was  again  changed,  the  firm 
then  becoming  Scott,  Walters  &  Rakestraw,  under  ^\llich  it  still  con- 
tinues. This  is  one  of  the  leading  banking  concerns  of  the  county  and 
maintains  branches  at  Castleton  and  Duncan,  W.  II.  Hartz  being 
in  charge  of  the  Castleton  brancli  and  E.  V.  Graves  at  Duncan. 

^Villiam  Leet  opened  the  Exchange  Rank  at  Rradford  in  1872  as 
a  private  banking  house.  It  is  now  known  as  the  Rradford  Exchange 
Rank,  with  Rosa  L.  Thompson,  president;  Robert  Thompson,  cashier; 


T 


T    "^■■■■"'■•■■M^,-^^J 


■  ■  ■    II 


I'lIKXlX    liANK.   r.i;Al)K<)l!l> 


INTEKlOi;  \  li:\V  OF  rUKXIX  liAXK 


LIBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 

URBANA 


HISTUUV  OF  STAKK  COUNTY  183 

J.  E.  Harney,  assistant  cashier.  C.  W.  &  Harmon  Plienix  also  liegan 
the  hanking  husiness  at  Bradford  ahout  the  time  the  Exchange  Bank 
was  started.  The  husiness  they  estahhshed  is  now  conducted  under 
tlie  name  of  the  Phenix  Banking  Company. 

The  State  Bank  of  Speer  was  organized  in  19()'2  under  the  general 
hanking  hiws  of  the  State  of  llhnois  with  a  capital  stock  of  i{?2.5,()00. 
It  has  heen  jirosjierous  from  the  heginning  and  in  Septeniher,  191;), 
reported  a  surplus  fund  of  $14,000  and  deposits  of  $100,000.  At 
that  time  the  officers  of  the  hank  were  as  follows:  John  TurnhuU. 
president;  Adam  Daxidson,  vice  president;  Benjamin  E.  13avis, 
cashier. 

Two  hanks  were  estahlished  in  Stark  County  in  1903 — the  State 
Bank  of  Toulon  and  the  National  Bank  of  Wyoming.  The  capital 
stock  of  the  State  Bank  of  Toulon  was  fixed  at  $2.11,000  and  the  first 
officers  were:  S.  M.  xVdams,  president;  D.  K.  Fell,  vice  president; 
W.  W.  Fuller,  cashier.  In  Septeniher,  191.),  this  hank  reported  a 
surjjlus  of  $25,000,  undivided  profits  amounting  to  $10,711,  and 
deposits  of  $27.5,000.  S.  M.  Adams  was  then  president;  R.  E.  Taylor, 
vice  ])resident;  E.  H.  Lloyd,  cashier,  George  Nowlan,  assistant 
cashier. 

The  National  Bank  of  A\'yoming  occupies  a  neat  and  well 
arranged  huilding  erected  expressly  for  the  purpose.  The  capital 
stock  of  the  hank  is  $.)().000;  the  surplus,  $2.5.000 ;  and  the  deposits, 
$27.5,000.  In  Octoher,  191.5.  James  Ilarty  was  president;  Jolin  T. 
Colgan,  vice  president;  A.  J.  Adams,  cashier;  D.  J.  Colgan  and  Ilazel 
Sellon,  assistant  cashiers.  This  hank  enjoys  the  distinction  of  heing 
the  only  national  bank  in  Stark  County. 

The  first  bank  in  Lafayette  was  o])ened  ])y  Bailey  &:  Beecher  as  a 
private  banking  house,  in  the  building  occupied  in  191.5  by  Aldredge's 
store.  Bailey  &  Beecher  sold  out  to  Dewey  &  Potter,  who  conducted 
the  bank  but  a  short  time  when  they  in  turn  sold  to  A.  jM.  Janes.  Mr. 
Janes  continued  the  institution  as  a  private  bank  until  early  in  the 
s])ring  of  191.5.  when  it  was  incorjiorated  as  the  State  Bank  of  I^afay- 
ette,  heginning  business  under  the  new  name  on  ]March  9.  191.5,  witli 
a  capital  stock  of  $2.5,000  and  the  following  officers:  A.  M.  Janes, 
})resident;  Baxter  Fuller  and  Alexander  Inglis,  vice  presidents;  W.  N. 
Nelson,  cashier.  The  hank  has  its  home  in  a  substantial  l)uilding 
erected  purposely  for  its  acconniiodation,  and  on  September  30,  191.5, 
I'eported  deposits  of  $8.5,000. 

Six  of  the  eight  banks  in  the  county  reported  deposits  in  Sep- 
tember, 191.5,  aggregating  $1,  23.5,000.    Scott.  Walters  &  Rakestraw, 


184  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

of  ^Vyonling,  and  tlie  two  Bradford  banks,  l)ein<>-  private  institu- 
tit)n.s.  cliose  to  exercise  the  privilege  granted  to  such  hanks  of  with- 
liokhng  information  regarding  the  amount  of  their  deposits.  It  is 
probable,  however,  that  they  carry  deposits  that  would  raise  the  total 
for  the  entire  county  to  nearly  or  quite  two  million  dollars — approxi- 
mately two  hundred  dollars  for  each  man,  woman  and  child  residing 
in  the  county.  If  the  bank  deposits  of  a  community  form  any  index 
to  its  prosperity.  Stark  County  certainly  has  no  cause  for  complaint. 

AGRICULTURE 

Farming  and  stock  raising  have  always  been  the  leading  occupa- 
tions of  the  citizens  of  Stark  County.  From  the  small  clearing  in  the 
timber  or  the  sod  cornfield  on  the  prairie  in  1840,  the  agricultural 
interests  have  gradually  developed  until  in  ltn.3  practically  all  the 
agricultural  land  of  the  county  was  under  culti\ation.  Originally 
some  of  the  land  was  too  wet  to  produce  good  crops,  but,  according 
to  a  bulletin  issued  by  the  State  Board  of  Agriculture  on  August  1, 
1915,  there  are  over  one  thousand  miles  (.5,401. .540  feet)  of  drain 
tile  u2)on  the  farms  of  the  county,  and  the  total  number  of  acres  under 
cultivation  ^vas  180, .570. 

There  is  neither  poetry  nor  romance  in  figm'cs,  and  statistics  as 
a  rule  are  regarded  as  "dry  reading,"  but  the  storv  of  a  community's 


•-»'■ 


progress  can  often  be  better  told  in  statistics  than  in  any  other  way. 
Adopting  that  method,  then,  for  the  purpose  of  showing  Stark 
County's  agricultural  status,  the  following  tables  have  been  compiled 
from  the  bulletin  of  the  State  Board  of  Agriculture  of  December  1. 
1914,  to  show  the  principal  crops,  miscellaneous  products,  and  live 
stock  conditions: 

Acres  Bushels  Value 

Corn     60,232  1,32.5,104  ^    79.5,002 

Oats    37,600  2,2.56,000  924,960 

Wheat    2,270  .58,.572  ;56.71.5 

Rye 795  15,900  12,243 

Barley    650  19,500  15,600 

Potatoes 115  2,330  1,980 

Hay    (all  kinds)  .    40,000  50,000  tons      650.000 

Pasture 33.650  168,250 


'"1'^ 


rotal 175,312  $2,624,810 


HISTORY  OF  STAKK  COUNTY  185 

The  value  of  the  ero])s  was  determined  by  the  eoncHtion  of  the 
market  at  tlie  time  the  hidletiii  was  issued  by  the  State  Board  of 
Agriculture  and  would  ha\e  brought  the  prices  indicated  had  the 
products  been  sold  on  December  1,  1914«. 

Deducting  the  total  acreage,  as  given  in  the  above  table,  from 
180,.)7i>,  the  number  of  acres  under  cultivation,  leaves  .),'284  acres  for 
"truck  patches"  and  lawns  about  the  homes  of  the  farmers.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  crops  given  in  the  table,  the  farmers  of  Stark  County  s(jld 
during  the  year  the  following  miscellaneous  products: 

Amount  Value 

Timothy  seed    24  bushels  $      96.00 

Clover  seed   21   bushels  210.00 

Millet   seed    27  bushels  100.00 

\Vool    16,93.)  pounds  4,234.00 

Butter    l.),7T2  pounds  4,732.00 

Honey 988  pounds  119.00 

Milk   2,567  gallons  770.00 

Poultry   4,098.00 

Eggs    1,82.).00 

Cheese   187.00 

Total  value $16,371.00 

The  number  and  value  of  domestic  animals  on  May  1,  1914,  as 
estimated  by  the  State  Board  of  Agricultiu-e,  was  as  follows: 

Number  A'alue 

Horses 7,197  Not  given 

Hogs   11,888  $133,204 

Cattle 13,977  282,370 

Sheep 3,978  23,486 

Total  value $'439,060 

Of  the  cattle  enumerated,  1,27-3  were  dairy  cows.  During  the 
year  the  numbei-  of  sheep  sold  was  87.');  the  number  of  hogs,  9,867; 
the  number  of  cattle,  2,921,  the  value  of  the  entire  product  being 
based  upon  the  jn-iees  received  for  those  marketed.  It  will  be  noticed 
that  the  value  of  horses  is  not  given.  If  it  were  included,  together 
with  the  value  of  animals  not  mentioned  in  the  agricultural  l)ulletiii. 
such  as  mules,  goats,  etc.,  the  value  of  the  live  stock  of  Stark  County 
in  1914  would  easily  reach  half  a  million  dollars. 

Vol.  I— 1  2 


186  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

STATE   BOARD   OF  AGKICULTURE 

The  Illinois  State  Roard  of  Agriculture  was  created  by  the  act 
of  Ai)ril  1.5,  1872.  and  duriny  the  forty-three  years  it  has  been  in 
existence  it  has  wiehled  a  wide  inHuence  upon  tiie  farming  and  stock 
raising  interests  of  the  state.  The  lioard  is  composed  of  one  member 
from  each  Congressional  district,  who  is  a  vice  president  of  the  board. 
In  191.5  the  member  from  the  Sixteenth  district  was  J.  P.  Code,  of 
Rradford,  Stark  County.  Resides  the  state  fair,  which  is  held  under 
the  supervision  of  the  State  Roard  of  Agriculture  each  year,  and 
which  is  generally  recognized  as  one  of  the  finest  agricultural  exhibits 
in  the  country,  the  board  collects  and  publishes  every  year  a  statistical 
report  of  the  crops  throughout  the  state.  To  accomplish  this  work 
in  a  manner  that  will  insure  authenticity  in  the  results,  a  corps  of  crop 
correspondents,  representing  every  county  in  the  state,  collects  and 
sends  in  the  necessary  information.  In  1914  the  croj)  correspondents 
for  Stark  County  were:  Duncan  JNIcKenzie,  31.  R.  Downend  and 
A.  Leroy  Hazen. 

farmers'  institutes 

Along  toward  the  close  of  the  Nineteenth  Century  the  custom  of 
holding  farmers'  institutes  was  adopted  in  most  of  the  states  of  the 
3Iiddle  ^Vest.  The  Illinois  State  Farmers"  Institute  was  created  i)y 
the  act  of  June  2-i,  189.5.  The  act  provided  for  an  ex-officio  board 
of  directors  to  be  composed  of  the  superintendent  of  public  instruc- 
tion, the  dean  of  the  College  of  Agriculture,  and  the  presidents  of 
the  State  Roard  of  Agriculture,  the  State  Horticultural  Society  and 
the  State  Dairymen's  Association.  In  addition  to  this  there  is  a 
board  of  twenty-five  directors,  elective  by  Congressional  districts. 
This  state  institute  undertook  the  work  of  directing  the  county  insti- 
tutes, the  state  making  a  small  appropriation  to  such  counties  as 
would  hold  farmers'  institutes  under  certain  conditions. 

An  act  of  the  Legislature,  approved  on  June  5,  1911,  authorized 
the  boards  of  county  su])ervisors  in  comities  having  township  organiza- 
tion, or  the  commissioners  in  counties  without  township  organization, 
"to  appro})riate  from  the  county  treasury,  for  the  use  of  the  county 
farmers'  institutes  in  their  efforts  to  promote  the  adoption  of  the 
latest  approved  methods  of  crop  production,  the  conservation  of  soil 
fertility,  and  the  improvement  of  agricultural  conditions  generally; 
])rovided,  that  in  no  case  shall  it  be  lawful  for  a  county  board  to  ap])ro- 
priate  more  than  $300  in  any  one  year  for  the  above  purj^oses." 


HISTORY  OF  STAllK  COUNTY  187 

For  a  miiiiber  of  years  the  farmers  of  Stark  County  held  institutes 
at  some  time  during  the  winter  months.  On  a  number  of  these  occa- 
sions the  hoard  of  supervisors  made  appropriations  under  tlie  al)ove 
mentioned  aet  to  assist  in  defraying  the  expenses.  Instructors  from 
the  State  College  of  xVgrieidture  gave  lectures  on  various  subjects 
in  which  the  farmers  are  interested;  corn  contests  were  conducted 
under  the  auspices  of  the  institute  otficials  and  prizes  awarded  to  the 
winners;  boys  and  young  men  were  taught  to  judge  the  "jioints"  of 
various  kinds  of  live  stock;  the  best  methods  of  preparing  ground, 
selecting  seed,  and  many  otlier  subjects  of  hve  interest  to  the  farmer 
were  discussed.  The  attendance  was  generally  good  and  those  who 
came  went  away  feeling  well  repaid  for  their  time  and  tiouble. 

The  last  institute  held  in  the  co\uity  was  in  1913.  M.  B.  Downend 
was  then  pi'esident:  W.  W.  Wi'ight,  secretary;  Fred  Winans.  treas- 
urer. These  three  men  and  their  associates  spared  no  effort  to  make 
the  institute  a  success  and  their  efforts  were  rewarded  by  the  largest 
attendance  ever  witnessed  at  an  institute  in  Stark  County,  about  five 
hundred  people  being  present.  Much  of  the  work  formerly  done 
through  the  county  institutes  is  now  l)eing  done  by  the  ])ublic  schools. 
In  the  township  high  school  at  Toulon,  and  some  of  the  other  schools 
of  the  county,  instruction  is  given  and  experimental  work  done  in 
various  branches  of  agriculture. 

With  the  annual  products  of  the  farms,  in  crops  and  live  stock, 
running  over  three  millions  of  dollars;  with  more  than  a  thousand 
miles  of  drain  tile  in  the  wet  land  districts;  with  a  soil  unsurjjassed 
in  i'ertility,  and  with  the  influence  of  the  College  of  Agi-iculture  per- 
meating every  nook  and  corner,  the  business  of  farming  in  Stark 
County  is  constantly  rising  to  a  higher  ])lane  and  being  conducted 
upon  a  more  scientific  basis.  Other  industries  may  be  establistied  and 
may  ])rosper,  but  it  is  quite  certain  that  for  years  to  come  "corn  is 
king"  in  the  little  County  of  Stark. 

COAL  MINING 

In  the  first  chai)ter  of  this  work  some  account  is  given  of  the  coal 
dejjosits,  in  their  relation  to  the  geology  of  the  county.  Probably  the 
fii'st  attention  to  the  coal  l)eds  of  Stark  County  was  attracted  through 
the  report  of  Professor  Wilbur,  who  made  some  investigations  in  this 
part  of  the  state  and  gave  the  product  the  name  of  "Spoon  River" 
coal.  Professor  Wilbur  predicted  a  profitable  business  in  mining 
coal.      Says  he:     "The  fortunate  position  of  the   Spoon   River  coal 


188  HISTOllV  OF  STARK  COUNTY^ 

field  gives  lis  oceasioii  to  make  a  few  remarks  as  regards  its  future 
value.  It  is  situated  near  the  Mississippi  River,  whose  eoal  trade  in 
barges  northward  will  soon  equal  its  lumber  trade  southward,  dis- 
tributing these  mining  products  at  the  depots  of  15,000  miles  of  shore, 
on  either  side.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  l)y  the  Silliman  district, 
which  occupies  17,000  scjuare  miles  of  Northern  Illinois,  all  of  ^Viscon- 
sin  and  ^Minnesota,  and  Xorthern  Iowa.  This  vast  area  is  entirely 
void  of  coal,  depending  solely  upon  transportation  from  the  nearest 
coal  deposits. 

"The  limit  of  workable  coal  may  be  safely  put  at  eighty  miles 
northwest  and  southeast  by  thirty  miles  northeast  and  southwest, 
giving  an  area  of  2,400  square  miles.  In  this  field  there  are  two  veins 
of  coal,  having  a  combined  thickness  of  nine  feet.  To  measure  the 
amoimt  in  tons  we  must  take  one  cubic  yard  for  every  ton  as  a  measur- 
ing vmit.  A  stratum  of  coal  three  feet  thick  would  therefore  give  a 
cubic  yard  for  every  square  yard  of  surface.  Hence,  an  acre  of  three- 
foot  coal  would  contain  4,840  tons;  but  in  this  field  we  have  a  thickness 
of  nine  feet,  and  an  acre  here  must  therefore  contain  14, .520  tons.  The 
aG'oreoate  of  tons  contained  in  the  field,  whose  limit  we  have  assumed 
as  eighty  by  thirty  miles,  is  22,302,720.000  tons.  Now,  if  we  distribute 
1,000  tons  per  day,  it  will  require  75,000  years  to  exhaust  the  supply, 
allowing  300  working  days  per  year." 

These  predictions  are  certainly  optimistic  enough,  >iut  subsetp-.ent 
developments  demonstrated  that  Professor  Wilbur  was  somewhat 
mistaken  in  his  calculations,  both  as  to  the  area  of  the  field  and  the 
thickness  of  the  deposits. 

So  far  as  can  be  learned,  the  first  coal  mined  in  the  county  was 
about  18.)4  or  185.5.  when  a  few  of  the  early  settlers  commenced  taking 
coal  in  small  quantities  from  the  outcrops  along  Jack  Creek  and  Jug 
Rim.  A  little  later  David  and  William  Howard  opened  a  mine  in 
section  23,  Toulon  Township,  about  two  miles  and  a  half  north  of 
Wyoming  and  not  far  from  the  Spoon  River.  About  the  same  time 
the  Howards  opened  their  mine,  John  Robinson  and  Richard 
Howarth  (commonly  called  "Shanty  Dick"  by  his  neighbors)  did  some 
mining  on  section  25.  about  a  mile  and  a  half  southeast  of  the  Howard 
mine.  A  shaft  was  sunk  in  this  locality  some  years  later  and  a  consid- 
erable quantity  of  coal  was  taken  out.  The  passenger  on  the  Chicago, 
Rurlington  &  Quiney  Railroad  can  still  see  the  I'uins  of  the  abantloned 
mine  from  the  car  windows. 

In  1857  James  Fraser  came  from  England  and  settled  in  Stark 
County.     He  was  a  practical  miner,  having  previously  worked  in  the 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  189 

Xewcastle  collieries  in  his  native  land,  lie  I'ornied  a  partnership  with 
Thomas  Tunsall,  another  Knglishnian,  and  the  two  leased  a  part  of 
section  14,  Toulon  Township,  from  Elisha  Dixon.  Their  mine  was 
worked  systematically,  the  slack  and  sulphur  heinff  taken  from  the 
coal,  and  the  product  of  the  Fraser  &  Tunsall  mine  found  a  ready  sale. 
In  IS.jS  this  firm  purchased  a  part  of  Section  23,  near  the  Howard 
mine,  opened  a  mine  tliere  and  that  year  sold  about  one  thousand  tons. 
About  the  beyinm'nn'  of  the  Civil  wai'  in  18(n,  John  Mcl^au<>hlin 
was  earryiiii)-  on  a  successful  mininfj-  business  at  what  was  called  the 
Foster  coal  bank,  two  and  a  half  miles  west  of  Bradford,  near  the 
Fast  L'ork  of  the  Spoon  River.  North  of  that  about  two  miles  was 
the  S.  C.  Francis  mine,  mentioned  by  H.  A.  Green  in  his  geological 
report  of  the  county  for  1870,  and  between  the  JMcLoughlin  and 
Francis  mines  was  the  Bradford  shaft,  in  section  21,  also  mentioned 
by  Green  in  his  report. 

Shortly  alter  the  close  of  the  Civil  war  the  Lathrop  Coal  Com])any 
began  mining  on  a  more  extensive  scale  than  had  up  to  that  time  been 
attemjjted  in  the  county.  The  mines  of  this  company  were  constructed 
on  the  most  a])proved  plans  known  to  that  period,  being  provided  with 
steam  hoisting  aj)paratus,  jjumjjs  for  keeping  the  mines  clear  of  water, 
escape  shafts  for  the  miners,  side  tracks,  screens,  chutes,  etc.,  and 
tenements  and  boarding  houses  for  the  miners.  It  was  operated  in 
the  vicimty  of  Wyoming  and  the  products  of  its  mines  were  shipped 
to  distant  cities,  so  the  local  miners  had  no  opposition  from  the  big 
concern.  In  IBTl'  the  output  of  the  Lathi-op  mines  was  about  three 
hundred  and  tifty  tons  daily.  At  the  same  time  the  local  miners,  who 
were  operating  on  a  smaller  scale  and  supjjlying  the  local  market, 
were  turning  out  about  7.000  bushels  of  coal  every  week. 

Among  these  local  operators  were  Fred  Charleston,  Peter  Iler- 
])erger,  William  and  Hemy  Newton  and  John  Cununings,  whose 
mines  were  situated  at  different  points  in  Toulon  Township.  William 
Newton's  nu"ne,  known  as  the  "Coe  coal  bank,"  was  opened  about 
18(>r>  and  at  one  time  employed  about  fifteen  men.  Around  Modena 
Avas  also  a  favorite  field  for  the  operator  with  small  capital. 

In  Elmira  Township  the  outcrops  along  the  West  Fork  of  the 
Spoon  River  were  worked  at  an  early  date  by  some  of  the  settlers, 
who  thiis  obtained  a  su])ply  of  coal  for  their  own  use.  So  far  as  can 
be  learned,  the  first  shaft  sunk  in  this  township  was  that  of  Thomas 
Oliver,  which  was  opened  late  in  the  year  188.3.  It  was  located  about 
a  mile  north  of  the  village  of  Elmira  and  turned  out  a  large  block 
coal  e(|ual  in  ([uality  to  any  produced  in  the  countv. 


190  HISTOHV  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

When  Green  made  his  geological  survey  of  tlie  county  in  180!)-70, 
he  found  a  number  of  workings  around  Modena,  in  Osceola  Township, 
along  Jack  Creek  and  near  Cox's  mill  in  Essex  Township.  But  in 
recent  years  many  of  the  mines  have  become  "worked  out"  and  have 
been  abandoned,  the  great  piles  of  shale  and  the  ramshackle  buildings 
standing  as  mute  monuments  to  a  bygone  industry.  Some  mining 
is  still  carried  on  in  the  county,  the  largest  single  working  prol)ably 
being  the  "Big  Hit"  mine,  which  is  situated  directly  east  of  the 
Chicago,  Bm'lington  &  Quincy  Railroad,  between  Wyoming  and 
Castleton. 

MANUFACTURING 

Stark  has  never  been  a  manufacturing  county  to  any  considerable 
extent.  The  first  factories  of  any  kind  were  grist  mills,  to  supply  the 
])ioneers  with  material  for  making  the  "staff  of  life,"  and  saw  mills, 
for  the  purpose  of  providing  them  with  lumber  that  they  might  have 
shelter  for  themselves  and  families.  Perhaps  the  first  mill  in  the 
county  was  the  one  built  by  Harmon  Leek  on  the  Simoon  River,  not 
far  from  where  the  Wyoming  and  Toulon  road  crosses  the  sti'eam. 
Mrs.  Shallenberger  says:  "It  was  built  as  early  as  1833  or  183-1, 
had  one  run  of  stone,  and  there  was  a  saw  mill  attached  to  it.  The 
dam  was  made  of  brush,  hay  and  gravel,  and  the  whole  thing  was 
poorly  constructed.  In  the  winter  of  183.5  or  183(5  Minott  Silliman 
rented  the  entire  concern  for  the  coming  year  for  thirty  dollars.  But 
the  high  waters  of  the  opening  spring  swept  dam  and  mill  away,  to 
the  dead  loss  of  JNIr.  Silliman  of  the  thirty  dollars  ])aid  in  advance, 
and  an  equal  amoimt  of  prospective  profits." 

Sylvanus  ^loore  built  a  mill  at  an  early  date  a  short  distance  above 
liCek's,  on  the  farm  afterward  known  as  the  "General  Thomas  Home- 
stead," and  Lemuel  S.  Dorrance  had  a  mill  on  the  river  not  far  from 
the  jjresent  village  of  JNIodena.  The  latter  was  afterward  known  as 
Fuller's  mill.  Shortly  after  the  Dorrance  mill  was  completed  he 
took  Samuel  G.  Brcese  into  partnership  and  the  Dorrance  and  Breese 
mill  was  one  of  the  landmarks  of  Stark  County  for  years.  One  of 
the  l)uhrs  used  in  this  old  mill  was  kept  by  Mr.  Breese  as  a  relic  for 
fully  half  a  century. 

In  1837  Enoch  Cox  came  from  Ohio,  where  he  had  followed  the 
milling  business,  and  built  a  mill  on  Indian  Creek  a  short  distance  from 
its  mouth.  It  was  not  long  until  he  found  the  supply  of  water  insuffi- 
cient for  the  purpose  of  furnishing  the  power,  and  removed  to  the 
mouth  of  Camping  Run.   about   three  and   a   half  miles   south  of 


HISTORY  OF  STAKK  COUNTY  TJl 

Wyoming,  where  he  built  a  larger  and  better  equipped  mill,  his 
brother,  Thomas  Cox,  becoming  associated  with  him  in  the  latter 
enterprise. 

Andrew  Dray,  one  of  the  early  settlers,  built  a  mill  on  Indian 
Creek,  Parker  &  Bradford  had  one  on  Jack  Creek,  and  Amsey  New- 
man's mill  was  on  Cooper's  Defeat,  near  the  northern  boundary  of 
Penn  Township.  Newman  also  had  a  chair  factory,  where  he  made 
the  old-fashioned  split  bottom  chairs  and  spinning  wheels,  which 
found  a  ready  sale  among  the  early  families  of  the  county.  Asher 
Smith  had  a  tanyard  near  Newman's  mill  and  made  a  good  cjuality 
of  leather.  John  Prior,  of  Toulon,  also  made  chairs  and  a  few  other 
articles  of  furniture  of  the  primitive  type. 

Probably  the  first  steam  mill  in  the  county  was  the  one  built  by 
Dexter  Wall  at  the  oUl  village  of  Waldron,  in  the  northwestern  part 
of  Penn  Township.  After  running  the  mill  there  for  a  while  he 
removed  it  to  ^Vyoming,  where  it  became  widely  known  as  the  Viola 
]\lills.  having  three  run  of  buhrs.  In  188()  the  mill  was  remodeled  and 
the  roller  process  introduced,  after  which,  it  was  operated  for  some 
time  by  Charles  C.  Priester.  The  machinery  was  then  moved  away 
and  the  building  in  191.5  was  used  by  Frank  S.  Foster  as  a  feather 
.sorting  and  renovating  estal)lishment. 

The  Valley  Mills  at  Wyoming  stood  about  one  block  w^est  of  the 
Rock  Island  Railroad  station  and  were  conducted  for  several  years 
by  C.  S.  Payne.  This  mill  had  three  run  of  buhrs  and  did  a  successful 
business,  a  considerable  <iuantity  of  flour  being  shipped  to  Peoria 
and  otliei-  markets.  The  ruins  of  the  old  mill  can  still  be  seen.  There 
were  a  few  other  mills  in  the  county  at  various  periods  of  its  history, 
but  the  ones  above  mentioned  were  the  best  known. 

One  of  the  most  ])retentious  manufacturing  establishments  of  early 
days  was  the  Hour  and  woolen  mills  of  John  Culbertson  at  Toulon. 
Says  ]\Irs.  Shallenberger:  "While  he  never  expected  to  reap  great 
profits  himself  from  this  investment,  he  did  hope  to  make  these  mills 
a  public  l)enefit  and  link  his  name  with  home  enterprises  and  indus- 
tries." The  mills  were  operated  under  his  personal  sui)ervision  and 
employed  a  number  of  people,  some  of  whom  were  skilled  workmen, 
but  after  JNIr.  Culbertson's  death  in  1869  the  industry  was  allowed  to 
languish  and  finally  Avent  down. 

Another  ]iioneer  carding  mill  was  located  on  Walnut  Creek,  in 
West  Jersey  Township,  or  as  it  was  then  known  "Massillon  Precinct." 
It  was  owned  by  Charles  Yocum  and  \Vashing1;on  Trickle  and  did  a 
thriving  business  at  a  time  when  the  good  women  of  the  county  spun 


192  HISTOKV  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

their  own  yarn,  wove  it  into  flannel  and  jeans,  and  made  most  of  the 
garments  worn  by  the  several  members  of  the  family. 

In  the  history  of  Goshen  Township  mention  is  made  of  \Villiaui 
Dunbar,  the  "Old  Hatter"  of  Lafayette.  It  is  said  that  he  would 
take  a  large  number  of  hats  fastened  together,  throw  them  over  his 
shoulders,  mount  a  horse  and  start  out  on  a  peddling  expedition, 
remaining  away  until  his  stock  was  disposed  of,  when  he  would  return 
home  and  begin  the  manufacture  of  another  supply.  In  this  Avay  he 
carried  on  a  successfvd  trade  for  a  number  of  years,  or  until  the  "fac- 
tory" hats,  which  sold  for  lower  prices,  forced  him  out  of  the  market. 

A  cheese  manufactui-ing  company  was  organized  at  Toulon  in 
December,  1874,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $5,000,  and  began  operations 
in  May,  187o.  Its  first  year's  product  amovmted  to  4.1,800  pounds  of 
cheese.  After  running  for  a  few  years  the  business  was  discontinued, 
and  in  January,  1885,  the  old  cheese  factory  was  converted  into  a 
skating  rink.  A  bulletin  of  the  State  Board  of  Agriculture  issued  on 
December  1,  1914,  shows  that  during  the  preceding  year  there  were 
1,24'4.  jjounds  of  cheese  manufactured  in  the  county. 

^Muchmore  &  Phenix  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  wagons  at 
Bradford  at  a  comparatively  early  date.  W.  AMiite  cV  Company  con- 
ducted a  wagon  and  carriage  factory  at  Toulon,  and  J.  B.  Robinson 
was  engaged  in  the  same  line  of  business  at  Wyoming.  John  B. 
Maxfield  began  making  brick  near  Toulon  about  the  close  of  the  Civil 
war;  James  P.  Headley  operated  a  brick  yard  at  Toulon  along  in 
the  '80s;  Higbee  &  Damon  were  engaged  in  the  mamifacture  of  brick 
and  tile  at  Wyoming  at  the  same  time,  and  among  the  other  manu- 
factured products  of  the  county  may  be  mentioned  cigars,  harnesti, 
sorghum  molasses  and  a  few  other  minor  articles.  In  1915  a  large 
bakery  at  Wyoming  shipped  bread  to  a  number  of  the  surrounding 
towns. 

TELEPHONE   COMPANIES 

Although  the  telephone  company  is  not  an  "industry,""  in  the  sense 
that  it  mamifactures  or  produces  any  commodity,  it  is  one  of  the 
greatest  aids  to  business  of  all  kinds  in  modern  times.  Before  the  in- 
ti'oduction  of  the  telephone  and  the  free  rural  delivery  of  mail,  the 
farmer  de])ended  largely  upon  his  weekly  newspaper  and  the  informa- 
tion bi-ought  by  his  neighbors  when  they  "went  to  town"  for  his 
market  reports.  Now  many  of  the  farmers  have  telephones  in  their 
houses  and  the  rural  carriers  bring  the  daily  jjapers  to  nearly  every 
household  in  Stark  County. 

On  jNIarch  1,  1902,  the  Toulon  Mutual  Telephone  Comj^any  was 


HISTORY  OF  STAKK  COUNTY  193 

granted  right  of  way  for  their  hues  along  certain  liighways  in  the 
county  by  the  board  of  .supervisors,  and  soon  afterward  the  work  of 
construction  was  commenced.  Just  a  inontii  hiter  (April  1,  1902) 
the  Castleton  Telephone  Company,  which  was  organized  by  A.  U. 
Hoff'  and  A.  L.  Johnson,  was  granted  right  of  way  over  some  of  the 
roads  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  county.  About  five  years  later  the 
interests  of  these  two  companies  Avere  consolidated  in  the  Stark 
County  Telephone  Company,  which  was  duly  incorporated  under  the 
laws  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $2(),()()0.  In 
October,  191.),  the  com])any  was  o])erating  exchanges  at  Toulon, 
W'voming,  Castleton,  Camp  (irove,  Duncan  and  Elmira,  with  about 
two  thousand  telephones  comiected  with  its  lines.  The  building  at 
Toulon,  ill  which  are  the  exchange  and  general  otfices  of  the  company, 
was  erected  expressly  for  the  purpose  in  191-1,  and  tlie  exchange 
building  at  Camj)  Grove  is  also  owned  by  the  company,  the  other 
exchanges  occupying  leased  quarters.  The  officers  of  the  company 
in  1915  were:  W.  F.  Price,  president  and  general  manager;  A.  B. 
Hoft',  manager  of  the  eastern  division;  W.  R.  Sandham,  secretary; 
C.  P.  Dewey,  treasurer.  The  boai'd  of  directors  was  com])osed  of 
the  above  officers,  J.  W.  Walters,  Arthur  Walters,  .Tames  T.  Rogers, 
Jehiel  Fuller,  William  Jackson  and  J.  H.  Duncan. 

On  June  2,  1900,  the  Osceola-Neponset  Telephone  Com])any  and 
the  Buda-Rradford  Telephone  Com])anv  were  both  granted  the  ])rivi- 
lege  of  setting  poles  and  running  wires  along  highways  mentioned  in 
their  respective  petitions.  Of  the  former  company  Frank  ^V.  Bates 
was  then  president  and  A.  E.  Stetson,  secretary;  and  of  the  latter 
com])any  Frank  Kopp  was  president  and  Hollis  Blauvelt,  secretary. 

The  Lafayette  Telephone  Company — C.  A.  Buffum,  president; 
F.  \Y.  Kltzroth,  secretary — was  granted  a  right  of  way  on  iVpril  17, 
1901.  The  Milo-Bradford  Telej^hone  Company,  of  which  Festus 
Bently  was  president  and  Cyrus  Bocock,  secretary,  was  granted  simi- 
lar concessions  on  ]March  11.  1902;  the  Duncan  Telephone  Com])any, 
through  its  secretary,  J.  W.  McXay,  filed  a  petition  with  the  board 
of  supervisors  on  April  1.),  1902,  which  was  granted  the  same  day; 
and  on  June  10,  1902.  right  of  way  was  granted  to  the  West  Jersey 
Tcle])hone  Com])any,  of  which  Watson  Egbert  was  president,  and 
Thomas  J.  Dryden,  secretary. 

By  an  arrangement  with  the  Stark  County  Telephone  Company, 
all  the  lines  of  these  local  companies  are  connected  through  the 
exchanges  of  the  former,  giving  long  distance  senice  to  all  parts  of 
the  county.  The  advantages  resulting  from  this  service  can  hardly 
be  estimated. 


CHAPTER  XII 
EDUCATIONAL  DEVELOPMENT 

CHARACTER  OF  THE  EARIA'  SCHOOLS SCHOOI.HOUSE  AND  FURNITURE 

TEXT-BOOKS SPELLING  SCHOOLS THE  THREE  r's PUBLIC  SCHOOL 

SYSTEJI STARK     COUNTY     SCHOOLS PIONEER     TEACHERS EDUCA- 
TIONAL PROGRESS  BY  TOWNSHIPS THE  SEMINARY TOULON  PUBLIC 

SCHOOLS TOULON  ACADEMY WYOMING  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS SCHOOL 

OFFICERS teachers'     INSTITUTE TEACHERs'     ASSOCIATION THE 

PRESS BRIEF    HISTORIES    OF   THE    VARIOUS    NEWSPAPERS EXTINCT 

NEWSPAPERS PUBLIC    LIBRARIES WVOilING TOULON  LAFAY- 
ETTE    BRA  n  F  ()  R  D EL:\riRA      LIBRARY     ASSOCIATION SCHOOL 

LIBRARIES. 

The  young  jjeople  who  enjoy  the  excellent  educational  facilities 
offered  by  the  Stark  County  public  schools  in  this  year  1916  can 
hardly  be  exjiected  to  realize  the  difficulties  encountered  by  their  fath- 
ers and  grandfathers  in  the  acquisition  of  an  education  three-quarters 
of  a  century  ago,  when  the  first  white  people  in  what  is  now  Stark 
County  established  their  homes.  Then  there  were  no  public  funds 
with  which  to  build  schoolhouses  and  pay  the  salaries  of  teachers. 
When  a  sufficient  number  of  settlers  had  located  in  a  neighborhood  to 
support  a  school  they  would  join  together  in  the  erection  of  a  school- 
house  at  some  central  point,  where  it  would  be  most  convenient  for 
the  children.  These  early  schoolhouses  ^vere  invariably  of  logs,  with 
clapboard  roof  and  puncheon  floor,  sometimes,  in  fact,  having  no 
floor  except  "mother  earth."  If  money  enough  could  be  raised  in 
the  frontier  settlement,  and  it  was  not  too  far  to  some  trading  post, 
a  real  window  of  sash  and  glass  would  be  placed  in  each  side  of  the 
building,  but  in  many  instances  the  only  light  came  through  oiled 
paper  fastened  to  a  framework  of  slender  strips  over  the  aperture 
formed  by  leaving  out  a  section  of  one  of  the  logs.  Stoves  were  a 
luxury  and  the  school  room  was  imperfectly  heated  liy  a  great  fire- 
place at  one  end.  On  cold  days  those  sitting  near  the  fire  would 
become  too  warm,  while  those  farther  away  would  be  suffering  with 

194 


HlSTOltV  OF  STARK  COUNTY  195 

cold.     One  can  imagine  the  confusion  in  tiie  school  caused  by  pupils 
constantly  changing  their  scats  to  "get  warm." 

The  furniture  of  the  school  room  was  of  the  most  i)riniitive  charac- 
ter. Seats  were  made  by  splitting  in  halves  a  tree  of  some  eight  or 
ten  inches  in  diameter,  driving  pins  into  holes  bored  in  the  half-round 
sides  for  legs,  and  then  smoothing  the  upi)er  surface  with  a  draw- 
knife.  The  legs  stood  at  an  angle  that  would  insure  stability  to  the 
"bench."  Under  the  window  was  the  writing  desk,  which  was  made 
by  boring  holes  in  the  wall  at  a  slight  angle  and  driving  stout  pins  into 
the  holes  to  support  a  wide  board,  the  top  of  which  would  be  dressed 
smooth  to  serve  as  a  table,  at  which  the  ])u])ils  would  take  their  turns 
at  writing. 

The  text-books  used  in  that  day  were  usually  Webster's  spelling- 
book,  the  English  or  McGuffey's  readers.  Pike's.  Ual)oirs,  Tal])ott's 
or  Ray's  arithmetics,  and  if  the  teacher  knew  enough  to  teach  such 
studies  and  the  district  was  inclined  to  be  aristocratic.  Olney's  geog- 
ra])hy  and  Kirkluun's  or  Butler's  grammar.  The  teacher  of  that  day 
was  seldom  a  graduate  of  a  higher  institution  of  learning,  knew  nothing 
of  normal  school  training,  and  rarely  made  any  special  preparation  for 
the  work.  If  he  could  read  and  spell  well,  write  well  enough  to  "set 
copies"  for  the  children  to  imitate,  and  could  "do  all  the  sums"  in  the 
arithmetic  up  to  and  including  the  "Rule  of  Three,"  he  was  qualified  to 
teach.  There  was  one  qualification,  howevei-,  which  could  not  be  over- 
looked in  the  teacher  of  that  ])erio(l.  He  must  be  a  man  of  sufficient 
physical  strength  to  hold  the  unruly  boys  in  subjection  and  i)rescrve  or- 
der in  the  school.  AVith  the  pioneer  pedagogue  "to  spare  the  rod  was  to 
spoil  the  child."  Xot  many  children  were  spoiled,  for  at  the  beginning 
of  the  term  a  bundle  of  tough  switches  were  gathered  and  displayed 
to  the  best  advantage  as  a  sort  of  ])rophylactic.  If  the  mere  sight  of 
these  switches  did  not  deter  the  bad  l)oy  from  committing  some  infrac- 
tion of  the  rules,  a  vijSforous  application  of  one  of  them  generally  had 
a  tendency  to  cure  his  fi-olicsome  disposition. 

On  the  theory  that  no  one  could  become  a  good  reader  without 
first  being  a  good  s])eller,  more  attention  was  given  to  orthography 
during  the  child's  early  school  days  than  to  any  other  branch  of  study. 
Spelling  schools  of  evenings  were  of  frequent  occurrence,  and  in  these 
matches  the  parents  would  nearly  always  take  part.  Two  "captains" 
would  be  selected  to  "choose  up,"  the  one  Avinning  the  first  choice 
would  select  the  best  speller  ])resent,  the  other  the  next  best,  and  so 
on  until  all  who  desired  to  participate  were  divided  into  two  equal 
sides.     Then  the  teacher  "gave  out"  the  words  alternately  from  side 


196  HISTORY  OF  STxVKK  COUNTY 

t(j  side.  When  one  mis-spelled  a  word  he  took  his  seat.  The  one 
who  stood  longest  won  the  victory,  and  to  "spell  down"  a  whole  school 
district  was  considered  (juite  an  achievement. 

After  the  child  could  sjjell  fairly  well  he  was  taught  to  read.  Then 
came  the  writing  lessons.  The  copy-books  used  in  the  early  schools 
bore  no  lithographed  line  at  the  top.  They  were  generally  of  the 
"home-made"  variety,  consisting  of  a  few  sheets  of  foolscap  paper 
covei'ed  ^\ith  a  sheet  of  heavy  wrapping  paper.  xVt  the  top  of  the 
page  the  teacher  woidd  write  a  line  or  "copy,"  which  was  usually  some 
motto  or  jjroverb  intended  to  convey  a  moral  lesson  as  well  as  to  give 
the  pu])il  a  specimen  of  penmanshij)  to  imitate;  such  as  "Evil  com- 
munications corrupt  good  manners,"  "Whatever  is  worth  doing  is 
worth  doing  well,"  etc.  When  one  stoi)s  to  consider  that  the  term  of 
school  was  rarely  over  three  months,  that  the  same  teacher  hardly  ever 
taught  two  terms  in  succession  in  the  same  place,  and  that  each  teacher 
had  a  diiFerent  style  of  penmanship,  it  is  a  wonder  the  young  peoj^le 
of  that  day  learned  to  write  as  well  as  many  of  them  did. 

Xext  came  the  arithmetic.  In  the  pronunciation  of  this  word  the 
soimd  of  the  initial  letter  was  often  dropped  and  it  was  ])ronounced 
'rithmetic.  And  the  fact  that  Keadin",  'Ritin'  and  'Rithmetic  were 
regarded  as  the  essentials  of  a  practical  education  gave  rise  to  the 
exjjression  "the  three  R's."  If  one  imderstood  the  three  R's  he  was 
equi])])ed  for  the  great  liattle  of  life,  so  far  as  ordinary  business  affairs 
were  concerned. 

But  during  the  years  that  have  passed  since  the  tirst  white  man 
came  to  Stark  County  educational  development  has  kept  steji  with 
industrial  progress.  The  old  log  schoolhouse,  with  its  crude  furniture, 
has  disappeared  and  in  its  place  has  come  the  commodious  structure 
of  brick  or  stone.  Steam  heat,  or  a  warm  air  furnace,  has  su2)planted 
the  old  fireplace,  giving  a  uniform  temperatm-e  to  the  school  room. 
The  teacher  now  must  show  fitness  and  training  for  his  calling.  The 
bundle  of  "gads"  is  no  longer  kept  on  exhibition  as  a  terror  to  evil- 
doers and  corporal  jjunishment  is  no  longer  considered  a  necessary 
part  of  the  educational  system.  Yet,  under  the  old  regime,  profes- 
sional men  who  afterward  achieved  world-wide  reputations,  chief  jus- 
tices. United  States  senators,  great  inventors,  and  even  presidents  of 
the  United  States  accjuired  their  rudimentary  education  in  the  old 
log  schoolhouse. 

PUBLIC    SCHOOL   SYSTEM 

The  enabling  act  of  April  18.  1818.  which  authorized  the  ])cople 
of  Illinois  to  adopt  a  constitution  preparatory  to  being  admitted  into 


HISTORY  OF  STAllK  COUNTY  197 

the  Union  as  a  state,  set  apart  section  Ifi  in  eaeli  Cono-rcssional  town- 
ship as  the  basis  of  a  per])etnal  common  school  fund,  the  income  of 
which  was  to  be  used  for  the  ecUication  of  the  youth  of  the  state.  At 
the  beginning  of  the  present  century  the  vahie  of  these  sections  was 
$11. ()(){).()()(),  but  the  school  hinds  then  unsold  were  valued  at  only 
<t4.()'J.).000. 

In  IHtiit  Congress  passed  an  act  dividing  the  surplus  in  the  national 
treasury  among  the  states.  Illinois  received  $33.5,000,  which  was 
added  to  the  permanent  school  fund.  Technically  this  distribution 
was  a  loan  to  the  state,  but  no  demand  has  ever  licen  made  for  its 
repayment — nor  is  any  demand  likely  to  be  made — and  the  state's 
school  fund  has  been  permanently  enriched  by  that  amount. 

A  county  school  fund  ^\as  established  by  the  Legislature  of  1837, 
the  income  of  which  was  to  be  added  to  the  general  school  fund  each 
year.  The  county  school  fund  amounted  to  $1()"2,0()0  at  the  begin- 
ning, but  has  been  slightly  increased  by  the  addition  of  certain 
unclaimed  funds  in  the  public  treasury,  etc.  From  these  several 
soui'ces,  Illinois  has  built  up  a  school  fund  of  about  fourteen  millions 
of  dollars,  which  can  be  increased,  but  cannot  l)e  legally  diminished. 
The  permanent  school  fund  is  loaned  to  the  state,  the  interest  amount- 
ing to  about  seven  hundred  thousand  dollars  per  animm,  which  is 
used  for  the  support  of  the  i)ul)lic  schools,  and  which  is  apportioned 
among  the  counties  in  proportion  to  the  number  of  persons  between 
the  ages  of  five  and  twenty-one  years. 

In  addition  to  these  various  sources  of  school  revenue,  each  county 
levies  a  tax  for  the  supjjort  of  its  free  schools  under  the  following 
provision  of  the  Constitution  of  1870:  "The  General  Assembly  shall 
])i'()vide  a  thorough  and  efficient  system  of  free  schools,  wherel)y  all 
children  of  this  state  may  receive  a  good  conunon  school  education." 

Pursuant  to  the  above  constitutional  provision,  the  Legislature  of 
Illinois  has  from  time  to  time  passed  laws  for  the  improvement  of  the 
public  school  system  until  the  state  offers  to  its  young  people  educa- 
tional facilities  that  rank  high  among  those  of  the  states  of  the  Uniom 
.Stark  County's  local  school  tax  in  li)14  amounted  to  $()1,134'.()3,  or 
$2.34  for  each  pupil  enumerated. 

STARK   COUNTY  SCHOOLS 

In  the  chapter  on  Townshij)  History  will  be  found  some  mention 
of  some  of  the  early  schools  and  the  number  of  school  districts  in  each 
t()wnshi|)  at  the  present  time.    The  first  schoolhouse  in  the  county  was 


198  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

raised  in  Essex  Township  uii  July  i,  1834.  An  account  of  the  'rais- 
ing," as  given  by  JMadison  Winn,  is  given  in  connection  witli  the 
history  of  that  township.  A  school  district  had  been  organized  there 
the  year  before,  with  Renjaniin  Smith,  Sylvanus  IMoore  and  Green- 
leaf  Smith  as  trustees  for  the  territory  embracing  township  12  north, 
range  G  east.  After  the  erection  of  the  schoolhouse  the  next  vear, 
Adam  Perry  taught  the  first  school  in  the  new  structure,  which  is 
believed  to  liave  been  the  fii'st  school  ever  taught  in  the  county.  ^Irs. 
Sliallenberger,  in  her  "Stark  County  and  Its  Pioneers,"  gives  the 
following  copy  of  the  receipt  signed  by  Mr.  Perry  for  his  salary: 

":March  1.5,   IS.S."). 
"Received  of  Isaac  E.  Essex  $.j.5..5U,  in  full,  for  teaching  a  school 
three  months  in  town  12  X.,  range  6  E.,  which  school  ended  this  day. 

"Adam  Perky." 

Stark  County  Mas  then  a  part  of  Putnam  and  Isaac  B.  Essex  was 
commissioner  of  the  school  fund  for  the  townshii)  that  now  bears  his 
name.  Under  his  direction  section  10  (the  school  section)  was  sold 
on  February  4,  18.'34.  for  $968.70. 

The  second  school  in  the  county  was  probably  that  taught  bv  ]Miss 
Sabrina  Chatfield,  which  ended  on  July  8,  183.5,  and  for  which  she 
received  $13.00,  the  term  being  thi-ee  months.  ^liss  Chatfield  after- 
ward became  the  wife  of  B.  L.  Hilliard  and  removed  to  Clark  County, 
Iowa,  where  she  died  some  years  later.  ]Mary  Lake  also  taught  a 
short  term  in  the  fall  of  that  year,  her  receipt  being  dated  Xovem- 
ber  3,  183.5.  It  states  that  she  taught  six  weeks  and  two  days,  for 
which  she  received  $6.3li/x. 

Other  early  teachers  were  Jesse  Heath,  Jose})h  R.  Xewton,  James 
Dalrymple  and  William  Sammis.  ^Ir.  Clifford  says  of  Jesse  Heath: 
"He  was  a  man  of  fair  education,  from  St.  Louis,  a  'good  fellow' 
out  of  school,  but  a  rigid  disciplinarian  within.  He  seemed  to  regard 
the  scholars  as  blockheads  and  dolts,  because  they  were  so  back^\ard. 
He  fi-ightened  one  of  the  boys  so  much  that  the  little  fellow  stayed 
at  home  two  weeks  in  bed,  feigning  sickness  to  avoid  going  to  school." 

The  early  schools  were  frecjuently  of  the  type  known  as  "sub- 
scription schools,"  for  the  reason  that  the  ])ublic  fund  was  then  too 
small  to  defray  all  the  expenses  of  the  teacher's  salary,  provide  fuel, 
etc.  L.  E.  INIiner,  in  a  communication  to  one  of  the  Stark  County 
newspapers  some  years  ago.  gives  the  following  account  of  a  school 
taught  b}'  him  shortly  after  the  County  of  Stark  was  organized: 


HISTORY  OF  STAKK  COUNTY  199 

"In  1839  I  was  rcciucsted  to  teach  a  scliool  at  Col.  W.  H.  Hender- 
son's. I  received  snbscriptions  for  scholarships  and  Colonel  Hender- 
son furnished  a  place  for  the  school  in  one  of  his  buildings,  which  was 
fitted  up  by  cutting  a  log  out  of  the  west  side  of  the  cabin  and  putting- 
greased  newspapers  in  the  place  of  the  log.  This  was  all  the  light  we 
had  in  the  school  room.  The  scholars  came  from  Spoon  River — John 
Bowen  from  up  Indian  Creek — besides  those  nearer  by  who  could 
walk  to  school.  It  was  in  the  winter  of  1839-40.  There  was  one  fam- 
ily in  Toulon  at  that  time,  that  of  John  ^Miller.  Colonel  Henderson 
sent  seven  scholars  to  my  school:  William,  Thomas.  Henry,  \\'eb- 
ster,  Stephen  and  James,  and  Felix  ^Vilkinson,  a  nephew  of  Mrs. 
Henderson.  John  \V.  Henderson  was  with  his  father  in  attendance 
on  the  Legislature  at  Yandalia." 

iMr.  JNIiner  fails  to  state  the  amount  of  tuition  he  received  for  each 
scholar,  but  his  descrii)tion  of  the  schoolhouse  will  give  the  reader 
some  idea  of  the  ditficulties  that  had  to  be  encountered  and  overcome 
in  obtaining  an  education  in  the  "good  old  times." 

The  public  school  system  of  Stark  County  may  be  said  to  have 
had  its  beginning  in  the  action  of  the  county  commissioners  at  their 
first  session.  On  April  .5,  1839,  they  appointed  James  Ilolgate  school 
commissioner  and  the  next  day  announced  the  appointment  of  the 
following  trustees  of  the  school  lands:  Township  17,  range  7  (now 
Osceola),  J.  C.  Avery,  Henry  Seely  and  A.  JNI.  Smith;  township  13, 
range  7  (Penn),  Henry  Breese,  Samuel  Camp  and  Isaac  Spencer; 
township  13,  range  6  (Toulon),  J.  W.  Heath,  Samuel  Seely  and 
Adam  Perry;  township  12,  range  6  (Essex),  Calvin  Powell,  Sr., 
Moses  Boardman  and  Whitney  Smith;  township  12,  range  5  (West 
Jersey).  William  W.  Webster.  Joseph  Palmer  and  ^Milton  Richards; 
townshij)  13,  range  .>  (Goshen),  C.  H.  Miner,  Luther  UriscoU  and 
Samuel  Parrish. 

No  trustees  were  appointed  for  Elmira  and  \'allcy  townships,  and 
it  is  difficult  to  understand  why  trustees  of  school  lands  were  appointed 
for  the  Townshi])  of  Essex,  in  which  the  school  section  had  been  sold 
some  five  years  before. 

An  election  was  held  at  the  house  of  Robert  JNIoore,  in  Osceola 
Precinct,  on  January  10,  1838.  to  vote  on  the  question  of  incorporating 
township  14.  range  C>  (Ehnira).  for  school  purposes.  Ten  votes  were 
cast,  all  of  them  in  favor  of  the  ])r()position  and  Robert  jMoore,  INIathias 
Sturm,  R()])ert  Hall.  Thomas  Watts.  Myrtle  G.  Brace  and  James 
Buswell  were  elected  trustees.  Stark  County  was  then  a  ])ait  of 
Putnam  and  no  report  can  be  found  as  to  the  number  of  schools,  if 


200  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

any,  that  were  conducted  in  tlie  township.  In  18 1.)  a  petition  from 
the  people  of  this  township  was  presented  to  James  B.  Lewis,  sdiool 
commissioner,  asking  for  the  sale  of  the  school  lanils.  The  early 
school  records  of  this  township  have  disappeared  and  none  prior  to 
1801  can  he  found.  In  1914  the  township  enumerated  2.3.5  persons 
of  scliool  age:  possesseil  school  property  worth  $10, GOO,  apparatus 
valued  at  $1,080,  and  employed  nine  teachers. 

The  school  section  in  Essex  Township  was  sold  in  February,  1834, 
as  already  stated,  and  tlie  money  ai)])lied  to  the  support  of  the  com- 
mon schools.  On  June  30,  1840,  twenty-three  votes  were  cast  in  favor 
of  organizing  the  township  for  school  purposes,  but  the  names  of  the 
first  trustees  cannot  be  learned.  During  the  school  year  of  1914-1. > 
Essex  enrolled  283  pujjils  in  the  ten  school  districts;  the  school  prop- 
erty, including  the  south  side  school  building  in  the  City  of  Wyoming- 
was  valued  at  $20,7-5O,  and  the  value  of  apparatus  was  $2, 27.3. 

The  school  history  of  Goshen  Township  begins  with  the  appoint- 
ment of  jNIessrs.  INIiner,  Driscoll  and  Parrish  as  trustees  on  April  6, 
1839,  though  subscription  schools  had  no  doubt  been  taught  within 
the  township  limits  prior  to  that  date.  On  September  .3,  184.3,  a 
2)etition  signed  by  seventy-five  legal  voters  asked  for  the  sale  of  the 
school  section,  and  the  last  of  the  school  lands  in  this  township  was 
dis2)osed  of  in  February,  18.51.  Says  Leeson:  "One  of  the  first,  if 
not  the  first  schoolhouse  in  Goshen  Township,  was  that  overlooking 
the  Indian  camp,  two  miles  from  the  Harris  farn),  on  the  old  state 
road."  The  first  school  election  was  held  at  the  house  of  Elijah  Eltz- 
worth  in  October,  1840.  Luther  Driscoll,  Charles  H.  INIiner,  Jeremiah 
Bennett,  Jacob  Emery  and  Samuel  Parrish  were  chosen  trustees  and 
Theodore  F.  Hiu'd  was  elected  treasurer.  The  first  act  of  the  new 
trustees  was  to  divide  the  township  into  the  Lafayette,  Emery,  Indian 
Creek  and  Fahrenheit  school  districts.  In  January.  1841,  the  people 
of  this  township  wrote  to  Col.  W.  H.  Henderson,  then  a  member  of 
the  Legislature,  asking  him  to  introduce  a  bill  providing  for  the  pay- 
ment to  Stark  County  of  its  share  of  the  school  fund  ajjportioned  to 
Knox  and  Putnam  counties.  The  bill  was  passed  in  July,  1843, 
Goshen  Township  receiving  $60.30.  In  191.3  the  nine  districts  of 
Goshen  em-olled  24.3  pupils,  the  property  was  valued  at  $17,500,  and 
the  apparatus  at  $1,000. 

The  first  election  of  trustees  in  Osceola  of  which  there  is  any 
record,  was  held  at  the  house  of  John  Shawls  on  May  17,  184.3.  Four- 
teen votes  were  cast  and  Liberty  Stone,  Isaac  W.  Searle  and  Zebulon 
A-\-ery  were  the  successful  candidates.     The  same  day  the  township 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  'Ml 

was  (lividtnl  into  three  districts.  These  three  districts  have  since  been 
sul)divided  until  in  1D1.3  there  were  nine  districts,  huildin,i>s  vahicd  at 
$10, 800,  apparatus  worth  $1,650,  and  392  pupils  cni-olled. 

Penn  Township  inaugurated  its  school  system  as  early  as  18:)6,  - 
three  years  before  the  organization  of  Stark  County,  when  Wall's 
schoolhouse  was  erected  in  section  7.  Subscription  schools  were  taught 
here  at  an  early  date,  but  the  names  of  the  teachers  appear  to  have 
been  forgotten.  The  township  \\as  organized  for  school  purposes  in 
184.5,  but  the  earliest  record  is  that  of  June,  1846,  when  an  election 
was  held  at  the  house  of  Lcniuel  S.  Dorrance.  Henry  Ereese,  John 
Todd  and  Xeheniiah  Merritt  were  chosen  trustees.  In  response  to  a 
petition,  the  school  lands  were  sold  in  1849-50.  The  nine  districts  of 
Penn  ToAvnship  during  the  school  year  of  1914-15  enrolled  286  pupils. 
Two  teachers  wei-e  employed  in  the  graded  school  at  Castleton  and 
one  in  each  of  the  other  districts.  The  schoolhouses  are  valued  at 
$9.;}50  and  the  apparatus  at  $1,500. 

^'alley  Township  was  organized  for  school  purposes  on  July  17,  - 
1847.  when  an  election  was  held  at  the  house  of  David  Rouse  and 
Z.  G.  Bliss.  David  Rouse  and  William  Cummings  were  elected  trus- 
tees. At  that  time  there  were  but  nine  families,  with  forty-one  chil- 
dren, living  in  the  township.  Four  years  later  there  were  twenty-seven 
legal  voters,  twenty-three  of  whom  signed  a  petition  asking  for  the 
sale  of  the  school  section.  Among  the  early  teachers  in  this  townshi]) 
were  P.  A.  Ferbrache,  Ithamer  Daybault  and  Joseph  Xewton.  Dur- 
ing the  school  year  of  1914-15,  Valley  Township  enrolled  219  pupils 
in  the  eight  districts,  the  schoolhouses  were  val'ued  at  $8,650  and  the 
apparatus  at  $950. 

West  Jersey  Township  held  an  election  at  the  house  of  Philander  - 
Arnold  on  April  5,  1842,  at  which  twenty-two  votes  were  cast,  the 
decision  being  unanimous  in  favor  of  incorjDorating  the  township  for 
school  purposes.  The  township  was  then  divided  into  two  districts. 
The  records  prior  to  1846  cannot  be  found.  In  1846  C.  M.  S.  Lyon, 
A.  G.  Dunn  and  Washington  Trickle  were  the  trustees.  D.  V.  Frazer 
and  A.  C.  Col  well  were  among  the  first  teachers  in  this  part  of  the 
county.  In  1915  there  were  eight  school  districts  in  the  township,  220 
pu])ils  were  enrolled,  the  schoolhouses  were  then  valued  at  $8,200  and 
the  a])i)iiratus  used  in  the  schools  at  $1,700. 

Tt)ulon  Township,  which  contains  the  greater  pai-t  of  the  cities  of 
Toulon  and  Wyoming,  may  be  said  to  be  the  educational  center  of  the 
county,  as  it  is  the  most  centrally  located  geographically.  The  first 
.schoolhouse  in  Toulon — the  "Old  Brick" — has  been  described  in  Chap- 


202  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

tei-  Vlll,  in  connection  with  the  City  of  Toulon.     One  of  the  early 
institutions  of  learning  in  the  county  seat  was 

THE    SEMINARY 

The  first  mention  of  the  seminary  in  the  public  records  of  the 
county  was  on  December  -i,  1849,  when  the  county  court  appointed 
Samuel  G.  Wright,  Oliver  Whitaker  and  Samuel  Reatty  a  conunittee 
to  "receive  subscriptions  and  report  plans  for  the  building  of  a  female 
seminarj'  in  the  Town  of  Toulon,  under  the  third  section  of  'An  act 
to  authorize  the  County  Commissioners'  Court,  or  the  County  Court, 
when  organized,  to  sell  lots  in  the  Town  of  Toulon,'  ap^n-oved  Febru- 
ary 12,  1849,  and  report  at  the  ]March  term  of  this  court  in  18.50." 

On  ^Nlarch  3,  18.50,  the  conmiittee  appointed  as  above  reported  that 
the  funds  received  from  the  sale  of  lots  were  insufficient  to  build  a 
suitable  building  for  a  seminary,  and  that  the  people  showed  an  un- 
willingness to  subscribe,  unless  the  seminary  could  be  opened  to  both 
sexes.  Judge  Holgate,  of  the  County  Court,  then  directed  the  mem- 
bers of  the  conmiittee  to  solicit  subscriptions  with  the  understanding 
that  boj's  and  girls  would  both  be  eligible  for  admission  to  the  insti- 
tution. 

On  September  2,  18.50,  the  county  treasurer  was  ordered  to  pay  to 
the  committee  the  sum  necessary  for  the  purchase  of  material,  but  it 
seems  that  the  work  went  on  too  slowly  to  suit  some  of  the  citizens, 
for  on  December  6,  1852,  Calvin  L.  Eastman  presented  a  petition  to 
the  County  Court,  the  jH-incipal  features  of  which  were:  "That  the 
Comity  Court  direct  and  order  the  committee  having  charge  of  tlie 
seminary  fund,  either  in  receiving,  managing  or  disbursing  it,  to  report 
especially  upon  the  following  matters: 

"1 — The  total  amount  of  the  said  fund,  principal  and  interest. 

"2 — The  amount  paid  in,  what  they  have  done  about  the  building, 
the  condition  of  the  woi-k,  materials,  etc. 

"3 — The  amount  outstanding,  in  whose  hands,  and  when  due. 

"4 — The  amount  expended  and  for  what,  giving  the  same  by  items. 

"5 — Their  reasons,  if  any,  for  not  having  discharged  the  trust 
committed  to  them,  and 

"6 — What  they  projjose  to  do." 

After  due  consideration  of  the  petition,  the  court  ordered  "That 
Oliver  Whitaker,  Samuel  Reatty  and  Samuel  G.  Wright,  committee 
to  superintend  the  building  of  said  seminary,  be  required  to  report  at 
this  term  of  court  upon  the  foregoing  petition,  and  that  the  clerk 
notifv  them  immediatelv." 


HISTOKY  OF  STARK  COUXTY  203 

The  committee  came  in  and  reported  the  expcncHture  ol'  .^(U)  for 
a  site  lor  the  seminary;  .%)-i2.71  for  l)rick,  lumber  and  shingles  and 
for  work  done;  that  the  total  paid  out,  ineludhig  a  note  for  $02.81, 
was  .$()().5.52,  and  the  amount  drawn  from  the  county  treasury  was 
$004.. l(i.  After  a  few  more  delays  the  seminary  was  completed,  as  the 
records  show  that  on  September  Ki,  IH.Vt,  W.  W.  Webster,  John  Eer- 
fiekl  and  L.  II.  Fitch,  of  the  board  of  supervisors,  were  appointed  a 
committee  to  confer  with  T.  J.  Wright,  of  the  building  committee,  as 
to  the  best  plan  for  seating  the  seminary.  The  first  term  opened  a 
few  weeks  later. 

Hy  an  act  of  the  General  Assembly,  approved  February  14,  18.55, 
the  board  of  supervisors  was  authorized  to  appoint  five  trustees  for 
the  Toulon  Seminary.  Samuel  G.  Wright,  Oliver  Whitaker,  Ben- 
jamin Turner,  John  Berfield  and  ]Martin  Shallenbcrger  were  ap- 
pointed. Under  their  management,  or  that  of  their  successors,  the 
seminary  continued  until  Septeml)er  9,  1861,  when  it  was  leased  to 
Davis  Fowman,  Isaac  C.  Reed  and  Warham  ^Nlordoff,  the  school 
trustees  of  the  Town  of  Toulon,  for  a  term  of  five  years.  By  the  act 
of  February  18,  1807.  the  supervisors  were  authorized  to  sell  the 
seminary  and  it  became  a  part  of  the  public  school  system.  It  was 
then  used  as  a  sort  of  high  school  for  some  years,  when  the  building- 
was  sold  and  converted  into  a  residence.  In  the  fall  of  191,5  it  was 
still  standing,  located  on  its  original  site  at  the  northwest  corner  of 
'Washington  and  Vine  streets,  and  was  then  the  residence  of  II.  C. 
Bradley. 

TOULON    PUm.lC    SCHOOLS 

In  the  fall  of  18.58  two  new  school  buildings  in  Toulon  were  com- 
pleted. One  stood  upon  what  was  then  called  Soap  Hill  and  the 
other  near  the  northwest  corner  of  the  cemeterj'.  The  latter  was 
known  as  the  "Fair-ground  School."  Miss  Mary  Perry  taught  the 
first  school  in  this  building,  a  ^Ir.  C'arjienter  taught  that  year  in  the 
old  brick,  and  William  Campbell  was  made  principal  of  the  seminary. 
The  Soap  Hill  schoolhouse  was  afterward  sold  and  converted  into  a 
residence. 

Toulon  in  191.5  had  two  ])ublic  school  Iniildings — the  East  Side,  or 
old  high  school  building,  and  the  Township  High  School  in  the  south- 
eastei-n  part  of  the  city.  The  site  of  the  former  building  was  selected 
by  vote  of  the  people  and  the  interest  in  the  question  was  as  great  as 
was  ever  displayed  in  a  ])residential  election.  Several  sites  were  pro- 
posed, l)ut  when  the  votes  were  counted  It  was  found  tliat  the  one  on 


20i  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COLXTY 

the  east  side  of  Olive  Street,  between  Vine  and  Thomas  had  won,  and 
here  a  substantial  and  cominndious  building  was  erected.  The  attend- 
ance at  the  two  schools  during  the  school  year  of  191-1-1.5,  according 
to  the  county  superintendent's  report,  was  595.  Seventeen  teacher.? 
are  employed  in  the  city  schools,  the  value  of  the  buildings  is  about 
thirty  thousand  dollars,  and  nearly  two  thousand  dollars'  worth  of 
apparatus  is  used  in  the  school  rooms.  The  Township  High  School 
was  formerly  the 

TOULON    ACADEMY 

xVbout  1882  some  of  the  citizens  of  Toulon,  desirous  of  having  a 
school  that  would  offer  a  course  of  study  not  provided  by  the  public 
schools,  conceived  the  idea  of  establishing  an  academy.  Among  those 
who  were  acti\c  in  the  movement  were  J.  F.  Rhodes,  J.  A.  Hender- 
son, E.  F.  Thompson,  E.  C.  Follett.  Dr.  Theodore  Eacmeister,  W. 
W.  Wright,  ]Mrs.  Sarah  A.  Chamberlain,  Andrew  Oliver,  Samuel 
Eurge,  G.  W.  Dewey  and  JNIiles  A.  Fuller.  The  institution  \\'as 
opened  on  October  12,  1888,  with  J.  W.  Stephens  as  principal.  After 
earnest  work  and  the  overcoming  of  many  obstacles,  sufficient  funds 
were  accumulated  to  erect  a  handsome  building,  just  outside  the  city 
limits  at  the  southeastern  part  of  the  town,  and  here  the  academy 
continued  its  useful  work  imtil  it  was  incorporated  into  the  public 
school  system  and  made  the  Township  High  School. 

WYOMING    PUBLIC    SCHOOLS 

The  early  records  of  the  Wyoming  schools  are  not  available,  hence 
the  city's  educational  histoiy  prior  to  1857  is  somewhat  uncertain.  In 
]May,  1857,  the  district  composed  of  the  northeast  corner  of  Essex 
Township  and  the  southeast  corner  of  Toulon,  embracing  the  Town 
of  Wyoming,  was  imder  the  charge  of  the  following  board  of  di- 
rectors: J.  E.  Erown,  William  E.  Armstrong,  Dr.  Luther  ]Milliken. 
Svlvcster  F.  Ottman  and  Isaac  Thomas.  A  summer  school  was  taught 
that  year  by  ^Nliss  Harriet  Milliken  and  in  the  fall  Enoch  K.  Evans 
was  engaged  to  teach  the  winter  school.  There  was  but  one  school- 
house  at  that  time  and  the  district  was  not  financially  able  to  build  a 
new  one — or  at  least  a  majority  of  the  voters  so  expressed  themselves 
on  June  22.  1857.  by  a  vote  of  twenty  to  seventeen.  Some  repairs  were 
made  upon  the  old  building,  which  continued  in  use  for  several  years 
before  the  peoiile  could  be  induced  to  sanction  the  erection  of  a  new 
one. 


ni'.i.u  suKKii-  luii.nixi:.  w  vo.mix(; 


LIBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  :i05 

In  September,  1870,  the  first  movement  was  made  toward  the 
hiiildiii^'  of  a  modern  sehoolhonse.  adequate  to  the  needs  of  the  town. 
The  phui  was  to  issue  bonds  to  the  amount  of  .$5,()()()  and  levy  a  tax  to 
create  a  sinking  fund  for  their  payment.  The  bonds  were  sold  in 
July,  1871,  the  people  having  voted  in  favor  of  inereasing  the  in- 
debtedness of  the  sehool  district  to  .)  per  cent  of  the  assessed  valuation. 
Tile  South  Side  sehool  opened  in  tlie  new  building  in  September,  1871, 
with  William  Xowhni  as  prineii)al.  He  Avas  succeeded  in  1873  by 
W.  R.  Sandham,  in  eliarge  of  tlie  high  sehool  department.  In  Janu- 
ary, 1877,  the  building  was  almost  completely  destroyed  by  tire,  but 
was  immediately  rebuilt  with  the  money  received  from  insurance  com- 
panies. In  the  si)ring  of  188ti  a  loan  of  -t.'J.OOO  was  authorized  for 
the  purpose  of  making  an  addition  to  the  building. 

The  North  Side  Ixiilding,  which  was  erected  aliout  the  same  time, 
is  well  located  for  the  accommodation  of  the  ])eople  living  in  the  north- 
ern j)art  of  the  city.  It  occupies  an  elevated  site  on  ^ladison  Street, 
extending  from  Seventh  Street  to  Galena  Avenue,  and  when  first 
built  had  a  capacity  of  over  two  hundred  pupils,  although  less  than 
that  number  were  enrolled  upon  the  opening  of  the  school  in  Septem- 
ber, with  S.  S.  Wood  as  jjrincipal.  The  South  Side  building  is  situated 
at  the  southeast  corner  of  Fifth  and  Main  streets,  lacing  the  public 
scjuare  as  laid  out  by  General  Thomas  when  he  established  the  original 
town.  The  value  of  the  two  buildings  is  approximately  twenty  thou- 
sand dollars.  Din-ing  the  school  year  of  1914-1.>  eleven  teachers  were 
em])loyed  and  the  mmiber  of  ])u])ils  in  actual  attendance  was  about 
four  hundred. 

SCH(X)L   OFFICERS 

When  Stark  County  was  orgam'/.ed  in  18:39,  the  law  of  Illinois 
provided  for  an  oflicial  called  a  school  commissioner,  whose  duty  it 
was  to  take  charge  of  the  i)ublic  schools  of  the  county,  investigate  the 
(lualifications  of  teachers,  etc.  In  18(>.")  the  office  of  school  conunis- 
sioner  was  abolished  and  that  of  county  superintendent  of  schools 
created.  Following  is  a  list  of  those  who  have  held  these  offices  in 
Stark  County: 

School  Commissioners — James  Holgate,  1840;  Charles  H.  ISIiner, 
1841 :  James  B.  Fewis,  184.);  Samuel  G.  ^Vright,  1840;  R.  C.  Dmin, 
18.).);  Nelson  F.  Atkins,  18(51  (re-elected  in  18(5:3  and  died  before  the 
expiration  of  his  second  term,  John  W.  Agard  being  appointed  to  fill 
the  vacancy ) . 

County  Superintendents— B.  G.  Hall,  18(5.):  Aloir/.o  B.  Abbott. 


206  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

1873;  Amelia  L.  Halsey,  1877;  William  R.  Sandham.  1882;  George 
O.  Frank,  1898  (resigned  and  W.  R.  Sandham  appointed  for  the  un- 
expired term);  Mary  P.  Edmunds,  1902;  George  C.  Baker,  190(i 
(still  serving  in  191.3). 

TEACHEKS'    INSTITUTE 

^Villiam  Xowlan,  in  a  paper  read  before  the  Stark  County  Teach- 
ers' Association  some  years  ago,  said:  "It  is  not  certain  when  the 
first  institute  was  held  in  Stark  County,  l)ut  it  was  about  18.52  or  18.33, 
while  S.  G.  Wright  was  school  commissioner.  Rev.  A.  Lyman,  of 
Genesee,  was  the  conductor,  and  Rev.  R.  C.  Dunn  afterward  stated 
that  it  was  the  first  county  institute  held  in  the  State  of  Illinois." 

Some  meetings  of  the  teachers  had  lieen  held  prior  to  that  time,  but 
JNlr.  Xowlan  expressed  the  opinion  that  the  first  regular  institute  was  • 
held  in  October,  1852.  That  was  the  beginning  of  the  institute  sys- 
tem that  has  since  been  of  such  great  lienefit  to  the  teachers  in  bringing  - 
them  together  for  the  purpose  of  getting  acquainted  and  adopting  a 
uniform  method  of  teaching  throughout  the  public  schools.  In  recent 
years  an  appropriation  is  made  from  the  public — a  fund  to  defray  the 
expenses  of  an  institute  (by  fee  of  $1)  which  lasts  for  one  week  or 
more  each  year,  just  before  the  opening  of  the  schools.  The  institute 
for  191.3  was  held  in  August,  in  the  East  Side  school  building  at  Tou- 
lon, under  the  management  of  George  C.  Baker,  county  superintend- 
ent. Prof.  H.  E.  Waite,  of  Princeton,  111.,  and  ^Nliss  :Mary  L. 
Robinson,  of  the  Peoria  public  schools,  were  the  conductors.  . 

teachers'  association 

According  to  William  Xowlan.  in  the  paper  above  referred  to,  the 
Stark  County  Teachers'  Association  was  first  organized  in  18.38.  and 
was  reorganized  in  October,  18.39.  by  a  few  teachers  who  met  foi-  that 
purpose  at  the  house  of  Rev.  R.  C.  Dunn  a  short  time  after  the  close 
of  the  institute  for  that  year.  Then  began  a  propaganda,  which  re-  j 
suited  in  a  majority  of  the  regular  teachers  of  the  county  becoming 
members  of  the  association.  Through  this  association  fraternal  rela- 
tions have  been  kept  up  among  the  teachers,  the  meetings  being  less 
formal  than  those  of  the  county  institute,  each  member  feeling  per- 
fectly free  to  express  his  views  or  to  criticize  those  of  his  fellow 
teachers. 

\y.  R.  Sandham.  of  Wyoming,  still  has  in  his  possession  the  paper    " 
read  before  the  association  bv  JNIr.  X"o\\lan,  in  which  is  related  a  num- 


IIIFTOHY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 


207 


ber  of  amusing  incidents  that  show  the  character  of  tlie  early  schools. 
One  of  these  incidents  tells  how  a  hoy  of  some  fourteen  years  of  age 
was  discovered  "doing  sums"  in  compound  numbers,  whereupon  the 
teacher,  a  young  lady  of  slight  experience  and  limited  education,  sent 
word  home  that  the  boy  need  not  bring  his  arithmetic  to  school  any 
more,  because  she  had  "never  been  any  farther  than  long  division  and 
had  not  been  cmi)loyed  to  teaeli  arithmetic,  any  how." 

Another  incident  told  by  Mi:  Xowlan  is  of  a  reading  contest  at 
one  of  the  meetings  of  the  association.  C.  J.  Gill,  commonly  called 
"Jud"  Gill,  Avon  the  prize,  reading  the  poem  of  the  Spider  and  the  Fly, 
illustrating  the  actions  of  the  insects  by  what  he  supposed  were  ap- 
proi)riate  gestures.  ^Vt  the  close  of  the  reading  Hev.  G.  A.  Leaver 
"asked  for  information"  if  "Jud's"  rendition  of  tlie  poem  was  an 
elocutionary  or  a  gymnastic  exercise. 

From  this  it  will  be  seen  that  the  teachers  were  not  too  dignified  to 
enjoy  a  little  levity  now  and  then  in  their  sessions.  The  association 
organized  more  than  half  a  century  ago  is  still  kept  up,  regular  meet- 
ings of  two  days  being  held  in  the  winter  or  spring  every  year,  the 
teachers  being  paid  by  the  county  the  regular  Uvo  days'  wages  for 
attending  the  association  meetings. 

THE   PRESS 

The  newspaper  is  unquestionably  an  important  factor  in  the  edu- 
cational development  of  the  nation.  Through  the  dissemination  of 
general  news  the  neoj^le  are  kept  in  touch  with  the  woidd's  progress, 
and  by  the  publication  of  special  articles  on  scientific,  industrial, 
economic  or  domestic  subjects  every  household  is  moi-e  or  less  benefited. 
It  is  therefore  considered  appropriate  to  include  in  this  chapter  some 
account  of  the  newspapers  of  Stark  County — past  and  ])resent. 

Dr.  Franklin  W.  Scott,  of  the  University  of  lUinois,  in  1910  com- 
piled a  list  of  the  newspapers  of  Illinois  by  counties,  which  list  was 
published  in  the  Historical  Collections  for  that  year.  lie  states  that 
the  first  newspaper  ever  ]niblished  in  the  state  was  the  Illinois  Herald, 
the  first  numl)er  of  which  was  issued  at  Kaskaskia  in  INIay,  1814,  by 
]Matthew  Dmican  "Printer  to  the  territory  and  publisher  of  the  laws 
of  tile  Union."  The  oldest  number  ol"  tliis  paper  in  existence  is  No. 
30,  dated  Wednesday,  December  13,  1814.  INIr.  Duncan  was  a  Ken- 
tuck  ian  by  birth,  a  lirother  of  Governor  .Joseph  Dimcan  and  a  grad- 
uate of  Yale  College.  He  served  in  the  Black  Hawk  war  and  died  at 
Shelliyville,  111..  January  16,  1844.  He  was  the  pioneer  journalist  of 
Illinois. 


208  ,  HISTORY  OF  STxVKK  COUNTY 

The  first  newspaper  in  Stark  County  was  the  Prairie  Advocate, 
the  first  number  of  which  appeared  on  January  4.  18.)(),  bearing  tlie 
names  of  John  G.  Hewitt  as  editor  and  John  Smith,  printer  and  pub- 
lisher. Prior  to  that  time  31r.  Smith  liad  been  conchicting  a  news- 
paper at  Pekin.  ]Mr.  Hewitt  interested  a  number  of  the  Toulon 
citizens,  raised  a  bonus  of  $300.  ^\itIl  which  he  went  to  Pekin  and 
induced  Smith  to  remove  to  Stark  County.  The  old  style  type  used 
in  the  production  of  that  first  number  of  the  Prairie  Advocate  could 
hardly  find  a  place  in  a  newspaper  office  of  the  present  day,  and  the 
press  upon  which  it  ^vas  printed  is  said  to  liave  been  the  third  printing 
press  ever  brought  into  the  state.  After  a  few  months  Smith  sold  his 
interest  to  Hewitt,  who  continued  the  publication  of  the  paper  until 
18o7,  when  he  sold  to  Rev.  R.  C.  Uunn,  who  changed  the  name  to  the 
Stark  County  News. 

After  a  few  months  INIr.  Dunn  sold  the  News  to  Whitaker  &  Hen- 
derson, who  placed  Dr.  S.  S.  Kaysbier  in  charge  as  editor.  About  the 
close  of  the  year  1860  the  paper  suspended  publication,  but  in  the  fall 
of  18t)l  it  was  revived  by  W.  H.  Butler,  who  named  it  the  Stark 
County  Union.  ]Mr.  Butler  undertook  to  run  a  paper  of  strong  union 
sentiment,  but  witliout  being  partisan.  The  result  was  the  Union  was 
short-lived. 

In  the  spring  of  18(J3  the  Stark  County  News  was  resumed  by 
Dr.  S.  S.  Kaysbier,  who  in  January,  1864,  associated  with  him  Oliver 
White.  In  July  of  that  year  ]Mr.  White  purchased  his  partner's  in- 
terest, becoming  sole  proprietor.  A  half  interest  was  sold  to  Joseph 
Smethurst  in  the  fall  of  1868  and  the  next  spring  ]Mr.  White  sold  his 
interest  to  Edwin  liutler.  Several  minor  changes  in  ownership  and 
management  then  followed  until  it  passed  into  tlie  hands  of  Charles 
T.  Henderson.  In  October.  1897,  the  News  was  purchased  by  Charles 
E.  Nixon,  of  Peoria,  and  James  A.  Nowlan,  the  latter  becoming  sole 
owner  and  proprietor  by  the  purchase  of  ]Mr.  Nixon's  interest  in  1904. 
In  January,  191.5,  ]Mr.  Nowlan  purchased  the  Galva  Standard,  and 
al)()ut  the  first  of  November  following  bought  the  Galva  News,  con- 
solidating the  two  papers,  which  after  January  1,  1916,  were  ])ub- 
lishcd  under  the  name  of  the  Galva  News.  He  is  still  the  owner  of 
the  Stark  County  News,  however,  which  paper  receives  his  personal 
attention. 

While  the  political  campaign  of  1860  was  in  progress,  some  of  the 
democi-ats  of  Stark  County  keenly  felt  the  need  of  a  party  organ. 
Accordingly  a  meeting  of  the  Douglas  Club  on  July  6.  1860.  started 
the  preliminary  steps  toward  the  publication  of  the  Stark  County 


HISTORY  OF  STAKK  COUNTY  209 

Democrat.  A  stock  company  was  ornaui/.fcl,  with  the  uiulcrstandiiig 
that  il'  the  paper  shouhl  become  self-supporting  the  remainder  of  the 
stock  sliould  be  paid  in  and  used  for  printing  and  distributing  Doughis 
literature.  The  subscription  price  was  fixed  at  50  cents  for  the  cam- 
l)aign.  The  first  number  of  the  Democrat  made  its  appearance  on 
July  1*J,  18U0,  with  the  following  editorial  stafi":  Martin  Shallenber- 
ger,  chief;  G.  A.  Clifford,  W.  H.  Butler,  Charles  Myers,  Benjamin 
Williams,  J.  II.  Anthony,  J.  H.  Russell.  W.  D.  Hicks  and  Thomas 
Ross,  assistants.  This  was  rather  an  imposing  array  of  editorial  talent 
for  a  small  town  like  Toulon,  but  it  must  be  remembered  that  none  of 
the  editors  drew  a  salary,  donating  their  services  "for  the  good  of  the 
cause." 

The  paper  was  printed  in  Kewanee  and  in  the  issue  of  November 
3,  18<)(),  appeared  the  following  notice:  "PAY  UP!  AVe  shall  pub- 
lish one  more  number  of  this  paper,  giving  the  full  election  returns 
throughout  the  United  States,  when  the  Democrat  will  no  longer  be 
published.  We  expect  every  man  who  is  in  arrears  will  pay  up  now." 
The  Democrat  was  13  by  19  inches  in  size  and  contained  very  little 
except  politics,  the  ])rinci])al  aim  of  the  i)aper  being  to  keep  the  demo- 
cratic party  supplied  with  ammunition  until  the  election. 

Seth  F.  Rockwell  began  the  publication  of  another  Stark  County 
Democrat  on  August  2,  18()7,  with  ^Martin  Shallenberger  as  political 
editor.  It  a])pearc(l  regularly  until  Christmas  day,  when  the  publisher 
announced  that  it  wovdd  be  suspended  until  after  the  holidays.  The 
next  number  was  issued  on  January  8,  1808.  ]Mr.  Rockwell  retired 
in  August  of  that  year  and  the  paper  came  under  the  editorial  manage- 
ment of  ]\Ir.  Shallenberger  and  Benjamin  W.  Seaton,  who  in  Novem- 
ber changed  the  name  to  the  Prairie  Chief.  The  paper  was  owned  by 
a  company  composed  of  Benjamin  Turner,  Patrick  Nowlan,  James 
Nowlan,  Martin  Shallenberger  and  Branson  Lowman,  who  bought 
from  John  Smith  tlie  ])ress  that  had  been  used  in  the  publication  of 
the  first  Stark  County  News  in  18.>r).  In  1800  Mr.  Seaton  ])urchased 
the  outfit  and  continued  the  publication  of  the  Chief  until  the  s])ring 
of  187*2,  when  he  sold  to  Dr.  Henry  JNI.  Hall.  He  changed  the  name 
to  the  New  Era  and  published  until  January,  1870,  when  he  removed 
to  Red  Oak,  Iowa,  and  Stark  County  was  without  a  democratic  paper. 

The  Stark  County  Sentinel,  another  Toulon  ncws])a])er  that  ac- 
quired some  ])r()minence,  was  first  issued  on  October  8,  1880,  by  ^V.  F. 
Nixon  and  Thomas  H.  Blair.  On  the  last  day  of  April,  1881,  J.  Knox 
Hall  succeeded  INIr.  Blair,  and  in  INIay,  1882,  JNIr.  Hall  became  sole 
owner.     On  January  1,  1884,  Gus  Hulsi/.er  pin-chased  an  interest,  but 


210  HlSTOllV  OF  STiMlK  COUNTY 

the  partnership  betweezi  Hall  and  Ilulsizer  was  dissolved  on  February 
13,  188.5,  the  former  retiring  from  the  paper.  Under  the  manage- 
ment of  ^Ir.  Hnlsizer  the  Sentinel  became  a  strong  advocate  of  pro- 
hibition, wJiich  policy  was  followed  until  circumstances  forced  it  to 
susjiend. 

Wyoming's  fii-st  newspaper  was  started  in  1872,  when  E.  H. 
Phelps,  at  the  earnest  solicitation  of  some  of  the  citizens  of  the  town, 
began  the  publication  of  the  Post-Chronicle.  The  name  was  adopted 
by  reason  of  the  fact  that  the  Bradford  Chronicle,  which  had  been 
started  a  few  months  before,  had  already  acquired  some  circulation  in 
the  eastern  townships  and  it  was  consolidated  with  the  Wyoming  Post, 
the  name  selected  by  jMr.  Phelps  for  his  paper.  The  first  number 
of  the  Post-Chronicle  was  issued  on  August  9.  1872.  A  few  months 
later  the  latter  part  of  the  name  was  dropped  and  the  paper  continued 
under  the  name  of  the  Wyoming  Post. 

In  1876  Phelps  sold  out  to  J.  D.  Gilchrist,  who  conducted  the 
paper  until  some  time  in  1879,  when  it  was  purchased  by  Craddock  & 
Vosbui-g.  In  188.5  this  firm  was  succeeded  by  W.  R.  Sandham.  Con- 
nected with  this  paper  was  one  of  those  newspaper  controversies  that 
frequently  occur  over  the  question  of  "good  will"  and  the  exclusive 
right  to  a  certain  territory.  It  is  said  that  when  INIr.  Pheljis  sold  out 
to  Ciilchrist  he  agreed  not  to  publish  a  paper  in  Stark  County  for  five 
years.  On  July  2.  1880,  he  issued  the  first  number  of  the  Toulon 
Herald,  but  early  in  1881  removed  the  office  of  publication  to  Wyo- 
ming. "Sir.  Sandham  went  into  court  and  asked  for  an  injimction 
against  the  publication  of  the  Herald,  but  finally  solved  the  problem 
by  purchasing  that  paper  and  consolidating  it  with  his  own  under  the 
name  of  the  Wyoming  Post-Herald. 

^V.  E.  Xixon  and  J.  M.  Newton  purchased  the  Post-Herald  in 
1889  and  conducted  it  until  August,  189.5,  when  Mr.  Nixoii  ])ecame 
sole  o^^•ner.  In  1902  Mr.  Nixon  was  elected  county  clerk  and  on 
January  1,  1904,  he  sold  a  half  interest  to  Harrison  Thomas.  A  little 
later  ^Villiam  G.  and  Gladstone  JNIoore  purchased  the  entire  outfit 
and  continued  the  publication  of  the  paper  under  the  firm  name  of 
]\Ioore  &  Son.  In  November,  1914,  the  Post-Herald  was  bought  by 
Scott  Brothers,  the  present  proprietors. 

The  Bradford  Chronicle  above  mentioned  was  founded  by  B.  F. 
Thompson,  editor,  E.  H.  Edwards,  publisher,  in  the  fall  of  1871.  It 
was  ])rinted  at  Princeton  until  it  was  consolidated  with  the  Wyoming 
Post  in  August,  1872.  The  Bradford  Times  was  first  issued  on 
Christmas  day  in  1880,  with  F.  N.  Prout  as  editor.    It  -was  not  ])rinted 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  211 

in  the  village.  The  first  ncws])a])c'r  to  he  ])i'iiite(l  in  Ri-adl'ord  was  the 
Rradford  Independent,  the  first  nuniher  of  which  was  issued  on  June 
4,  188.5,  by  C.  F.  Hamilton  and  J.  C.  Blaisdell.  On  June  1,  1880, 
]Mr.  Rhiisdell  retired,  leaviiif^-  Mi-.  Hamilton  sole  owner.  Suhse- 
<|uently  Mr.  Blaisdell  established  the  Rradford  Re])ubliean,  whieh  be 
sold  to  R.  L.  Hreen,  the  present  editor  and  ])nblisber,  in  the  sjjring 
of  11107. 

EXTINCT    XKWSl'.VPERS 

Several  of  the  newspa])ers  above  enumerated  passed  out  of  exist- 
enee  after  a  short  time,  and  there  wei'e  some  other  ventures  in  journal- 
ism that  failed  "for  want  of  adequate  support."  One  of  the  earliest 
of  these  evanescent  publications  was  the  Ku  Klux  Rulletin,  which  first 
made  its  appearance  on  oNIay  7,  1869,  with  the  motto  "'Chide  mildly 
the  erring."  The  editorial  staff  was  announced  as  "White  Alligator," 
"Rattling  Skeleton"  and  "(irand  Cyclops,"  supposed  to  have  been 
Chailes  \V.  Wright,  Albinus  Nance  (afterward  governor  of  Ne- 
braska) and  Thomas  Sballenberger.  The  Bulletin  was  pui)lished  at 
Toulon  and  in  the  salutatory  its  principles  were  set  forth  as  follows: 
"Our  Rulletin  is  not  a  religious  paper.  Others  may  prate  of  the 
orthodox,  the  martj^rs  and  the  clergy;  of  the  peace  and  happiness  of 
religion,  and  spiritual  comfort;  but  we  ])refer  to  deal  with  the  human 
creatures  al)out  us.  We  do  not  confine  ourselves  to  any  sect  or  creed; 
we  are  on  the  side  of  reform,  and  our  field  of  labor  is  as  broad  as  the 
universe.  Toulon  needs  reorganizing  and  we  attempt  to  reorganize 
her.  Let  us  hope  that  we  may  meet  with  better  success  than  iVrtemus 
Ward,  when  he  attempted  to  reorganize  Betsy  Jane." 

But  the  (Jrand  Cyelo])s  and  his  editorial  associates  found  the  woi-k 
of  reorganization  a  difficult  task  and  after  publishing  the  Bulletin  for 
a  short  time  let  it  die  a  natural  death. 

In  1876  Oliver  White  conmienced  the  iniblication  of  the  tri-weeklv 
newspa])er  to  which  he  gave  the  name  of  INIolly  Stark.  INIr.  White's 
notion  of  a  newspa])er  was  to  avoid  "boiler  plate,"  or  "patent  insides," 
and  pul)lish  ])aragrai)hs  of  local  interest  or  articles  giving  the  pith  of 
the  latest  news.  The  INIolly  Stark  was  unflinchingly  republican  in  its 
political  views  and  its  mission  seemed  to  be  the  election  of  James  Q. 
Blaine  to  the  Presidency.  Bill  Nye,  the  humorist,  used  to  tell  of  a 
l)rintcr  who  went  bankru])t  trying  to  run  a  nonpareil  news])a])er  in  a 
long  primei-  town.  INIr.  White  had  a  similar  experience  with  a  hi- 
weckly  pa])er  in  Toulon.  Although  be  did  not  become  bankrupt,  be 
found  the  INfolly  Stark  an  un])rofitable  enter])rise  and  discontinued 
its  ])ublication. 


212  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

The  Stark  County  Rce  was  started  at  Wyoming',  contempora- 
neously witli  the  ]Molly  Stark,  hy  JNl.  M.  JNIonteith.  It  was  published 
as  an  independent  paper,  though  it  was  noticed  that  its  leanings  were 
strongly  toward  the  republican  party.  Such  a  policy  alienated  the 
democrats,  while  the  republicans  wanted  a  paper  more  pronounced  in 
principle,  hence,  as  one  old  resident  of  ^Vyoming  expresses  it.  "the 
Bee  soon  ceased  to  buzz." 

Another  tri-weekly  i^aper  was  the  Call,  published  by  Nixon 
Brothers  at  Toulon.  The  first  number  bore  the  date  of  March  2U, 
]88."}.  and  after  a  few  issues  was  jjublished  semi-weekly.  The  last 
number  of  the  Call  was  issued  on  August  16,  1883. 

In  October,  1883,  S.  A.  Miller  began  the  publication  of  the  Lafay- 
ette Annex.  The  name  was  changed  to  the  Lafayette  Sentinel  in 
.June,  1884,  but  Mr.  INliller  learned  that  a  change  of  name  did  not 
eidarge  the  field  for  his  pajjcr  and  a  little  later  the  Sentinel  succinnbed 
to  the  inevitable. 

PUBLIC    LI15KARIES 

Col.  Robert  G.  Ingersoll  once  said:  "A  house  with  a  library  in  it 
has  a  soul."  The  same  thing  might  be  approjiriately  said  of  a  town 
or  city.  The  jjublic  library  has  been  one  of  the  most  potent  agencies 
in  recent  years  in  furnishing  many  people  with  the  means  of  acquiring 
information  upon  a  multitude  of  subjects — information  they  might 
never  liave  gained  through  other  channels.  The  peoijle  of  Stark 
County  apparently  recognize  the  importance  of  the  pul)lic  library  as 
an  educational  factor,  as  there  are  four  libraries  maintained  at  public 
expense,  viz:    Toulon,  Wyoming,  Bradford  and  Lafayette. 

The  first  mention  of  a  library  in  the  official  records  of  the  county 
was  on  July  16,  18.51,  when  the  County  Court  ordered  that  George  A. 
Cliflf'ord  be  permitted  t(j  use  the  room  in  the  courthouse  "at  present 
occupied  by  the  Toulon  Social  Library,  provided  that  an  arrange- 
ment can  be  effected  with  those  interested  in  said  library,  if  not  the 
said  Clifford  shall  be  permitted  to  use  either  of  the  jury  rooms  during 
the  vacation  of  the  Circuit  Court,  upon  payment  of  .$1  per  mouthy" 

The  Toulon  Social  l^ibrary  was  not  a  public  library,  but  was  a 
small  society,  the  members  of  which  contributed  a  certain  sum  annually 
for  books  to  be  circulated  among  themselves,  or  rented  to  others  for  a 
small  weekly  fee. 

Wyoming  was  the  pioneer  in  the  movement  to  establish  a  public 
library.  xVbout  the  year  1890,  while  yet  a  village,  some  of  the  ])co|)le 
inaugurated  a  movement  for  the  establishment  of  a  public  library,  by 


IllSTOKV  OF  STARK  CUL'M'V  213 

inducing  tlie  village  trustees  ti)  eall  an  election  to  vote  on  the  projjosi- 
tion  to  establish  such  an  institution.  A  uiajority  oi'  the  votes  were 
opposed  to  the  measure  and  the  subject  was  drop])e(l. 

In  the  early  part  of  1907  the  Tuesday  Club,  at  several  ol'  its 
meetings  discussed  the  subject  of  a  public  library,  the  discussions 
finally  culminating  in  the  ap])ointment  of  Albert  W.  King  and  Hev. 
\\  illiam  31oore  a  committee  to  present  the  matter  to  the  city  council. 
They  personally  appeared  before  tiie  council,  but  the  time  was  ajjpar- 
ently  inopportune.  The  eouncilmen  listened  attentively  to  the  com- 
mittee, but  declined  to  act.  The  Tuesday  Club,  however,  continued 
the  agitation  and  on  October  29,  1907,  ^Irs.  Harry  A.  llammonil, 
Mrs.  William  liolgate  and  INIrs.  William  H.  Hewitt  were  appointed 
a  committee  to  investigate  the  practicability  and  suggest  a  plan  for 
the  establishment  of  a  [)ublic  reading  room,  as  a  sort  of  forerunner  of 
a   ])ublie  library. 

The  counnittee  held  several  meetings,  but  nothing  was  accom- 
plished mitil  December,  1908,  when  a  reading  room  was  opened  in 
the  basement  of  the  Scott,  Walters  &  llakestraw  bank  building.  The 
reading  room  was  supported  by  su])scri])tions  and  it  was  ho])ed  interest 
enough  would  be  aroused  to  lead  to  the  establishment  of  a  public 
library.  But  after  a  few  months  the  reading  room  was  discontinued, 
chiefly  for  lack  of  suitable  quarters.  The  library  question,  like  Ban- 
(juo's  ghost,  would  not  down,  and  during  the  next  three  years  it  was 
re])eatedly  discussed  at  the  meetings  of  the  Tuesday  Club  and  in  the 
columns  of  the  Post-IIerald.  In  191 2  the  Women's  Christian  Tem- 
j)erance  Union,  the  Ladies'  League  of  the  Catholic  Church,  the  Merry 
Makers'  Club  and  the  Birthday  Club  all  became  interested  in  the 
subject  and  with  the  Tuesday  Club  joined  in  the  formation  of  the 
Wyoming  \Voman's  Library  Association,  with  JNlrs.  Lliza  Steer  as 
})resident  and  INL's.  Nellie  K.  Reeder,  secretary  and  treasurer. 

Woi'k  now  began  in  earnest  and  the  campaign  resulted  in  the  pass- 
age of  an  ordinance  by  the  city  council  on  July  7.  191.'$,  "to  establish  a 
free  ])ublic  library  in  accordance  with  the  library  law  of  the  State  of 
Illinois."  A  little  later  the  following  library  l)oard  was  appointed: 
William  R.  Sandham.  president;  INIrs.  Eliza  Steer,  vice  president; 
Mrs.  Xellie  K.  Reeder,  secretary;  Frank  Jacobs,  ^Villiam  J.  Forster, 
Odillon  B.  Slane,  iVbnei-  C.  Cooper.  ^Irs.  Cecelia  B.  Colwell  and  Mvs. 
Augustine  Ryan.  This  board  on  August  18,  1913,  ap])lied  to  the 
Carnegie  Corporation  of  New  York  for  assistance  in  erecting  a  suit- 
able l)uilding  for  a  ])ublic  library  and  on  November  9.  1913,  came  a 
rejjly  that  the  sum  of '$.).G0()  would  ])e  donated  for  a  building  in  Wyo- 


f 


214  HISTOKV   OF  ST  AUK  COCXTV 


niing,  provided  the  city  would  furnish  a  suitable  site.  Then  com- 
menced the  camjiaign  to  procure  a  site,  which  culminated  on  February 
2-4,  11)14,  by  the  city  voting  to  issue  bonds  to  the  amount  of  $1,.500  for 
the  purchase  of  a  lot.  The  site  selected  was  owned  by  a  number  of 
heirs  and  it  was  not  until  July  10.  1914,  that  the  deeds  were  all  signed  i 

and  the  city  came  into  possession. 

The  plans  submitted  by  Keeves  &  Bailie,  architects  of  Peoria,  were 
approved  by  the  Carnegie  Corporation  and  on  July  18,  1914,  the  con-  | 

tract  for  the  building  was  awarded  to  F.  L.  Boher,  of  Abingdon,  111.  j 

The  heating  plant  and  the  plumbing  were  installed  by  Brown  &  Up- 
perman.  of  \Vyoming.  The  building  is  of  hollow  tile,  veneered  with 
a  liard  mat  brick,  roof  of  l)lack  Bangor  slate,  and  consists  of  the  main 
Hoor  and  basement.     It  is  27  by  63  feet  in  size,  the  library  occupying  j 

the  main  floor,  while  the  basement  contains  an  assembly  room,  store  j 

room,  space  for  the  heating  plant,  toilet  rooms,  etc.  It  was  opened  to 
the  public  on  April  1,  191.5.  The  total  cost  of  the  building,  including 
the  heating  plant  and  plumbing,  was  $0,075,  and  up  to  April  1,  191.5, 
the  Woman's  Library  Association  had  raised  $1,140  for  the  benelit  of 
the  institution. 

The  library  board  on  October  1,  191.5,  was  composed  of  A.  C. 
Cooper,  president;  Mrs.  Nellie  K.  Heeder,  secretary,  C.  A.  Smith,  ■ 

A.  W.  King,  J.  W.  Walters,  INIiss  INIary  Colgan,  ^Irs.  Hepsey  Ear-  I 

hart  and  INIrs.  Bessie  M.  Strattan.    The  flrst  librarian,  Mrs.  Augustine  f 

Byan,  resigned  on  August  1,  191.5,  and  INIiss  Mary  W.  Townsend  1 

was  appointed.     The  library  now  contains  about  twelve  hundred  vol-  1 

umes.  It  is  open  Tuesday,  Thursday  and  Saturday  afternoons  and 
evenings.  The  amovmt  of  tax  levied  for  its  support  in  1914  was 
$.534.0(5  and  for  1915  it  was  $700. 

The  Toulon  Public  Library  dates  its  beginning  from  January  29, 
1891,  when  James  H.  ^Miller  and  B.  F.  Thompson  filed  a  petition  with 
the  village  clerk,  George  S.  Walker,  asking  the  town  board  to  levy  a 
tax  in  accordance  with  the  state  law  for  the  support  of  a  public  library. 
That  petition  was  signed  by  sixty  legal  voters  and  at  the  town  election, 
April  21,  1891,  the  proposition  to  levy  the  library  tax  was  carried  by  a 
good  majority. 

Nothing  further  was  done  toward  the  actual  establishment  of  the 
library  until  April  19,  1892,  when  a  board  of  six  directors  was  elected, 
to-wit:  B.  F.  Thompson  and  Gus  Flulsizer,  for  three  years;  W.  W. 
Wright  and  U.  J.  Overman,  for  two  years;  INIartin  Shallenberger 
and  Theodore  Bacmeister,  for  one  year.  In  July,  1892,  the  first  year's 
tax  was  paid  in  and  found  to  net  $314.21.     The  directors  considered 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  ^1^ 

this  amount  too  small  to  do  umch  toward  establishing  a  library  and 
again  there  was  a  delay  of  several  months. 

At  a  meeting  held  in  the  otKce  of  Ur.  Theodore  Bacmeistci-  on 
Febriiarj'  2,  1893,  ]Mr.  Thompson  was  elected  president  of  the  l)oar(i 
of  directors,  and  Doctor  Eacmcister  was  chosen  secretary,  ^lessrs. 
Hulsizer,  J^acmeister  and  Shalleiiberger  were  appointed  a  committee 
to  draft  rnles  and  regulations  for  the  government  of  the  library. 
Another  meeting  was  held  on  JNlarch  2,  1893,  when  JNlessrs.  Bac- 
nieister,  Hulsizer  and  Overman  were  appointed  a  committee  to  look 
for  a  location  and  report  at  the  next  meeting.  The  committee  re- 
ported that  suitable  rooms  could  be  secured  in  \Villiam  Caverly's  new 
block  at  a  rental  of  $4  per  month,  and  Mr.  Hulsizer  offered  to  donate 
his  services  as  librarian  anil  to  keep  the  library  open  three  evenings 
each  week. 

So  far  everything  had  worked  well,  but  it  was  impossible  to  open 
a  library  without  books.  At  a  meeting  on  March  30,  1893,  Mr.  Cav- 
erly's offer  was  accepted,  a  list  of  books  was  decided  on,  and  on  iVpi-il 
7,  1893,  ]Mr.  Overman  went  to  Chicago  to  purchase  the  books  selected. 
They  arrived  a  few  days  later  and  the  Toidon  Public  Library  was 
opened  on  the  evening  of  the  18th,  at  which  time  Mr.  Overman  re- 
ported that  the  amount  expended  for  books  was  $34.-1.38;  his  personal 
expenses,  $11. 7-),  and  freight  on  the  books.  $3.0.5,  making  a  total  of 
$3.59.T8. 

The  library  remained  in  the  Caverly  Building  until  April  11,  1898, 
when  it  was  voted  to  remove  to  B.  F.  Thompson's  new  brick  block  on 
the  west  side  of  the  public  square.  \Vhen  the  library  went  into  its  new 
quarters  ^Nliss  Pauline  Xowlan  succeeded  jNIr.  Hulsizer  as  librarian. 
She  was  in  turn  succeeded  by  jNlartha  K.  Cree,  under  whose  adminis- 
tration the  library  was  removed  to  the  second  Hoor  of  Dr.  E.  B. 
Packer's  building  on  West  ^lain  Street.  In  April,  1911,  JNIiss  Har- 
riet J.  Byatt,  the  present  lil)rarian,  succeeded  INIiss  Cree. 

Early  in  the  summer  of  1914  the  library  board  wrote  to  the  Car- 
negie Corporation,  of  New  York  City,  explaining  the  needs  of  the 
Toulon  library,  and  asking  for  a  donation  for  the  purpose  of  erecting 
a  suitable  building  for  the  library's  home.  In  August  the  board  re- 
ceived the  pleasing  information  that  the  corporation  would  give  $(),000 
and  preparations  were  immediately  commenced  for  the  erection  of 
the  building.  The  first  thing  necessary  was  to  obtain  a  site.  After 
some  "pulling  and  hauling"  Percy  Shallenberger  offered  to  donate 
the  lot  at  the  southwest  corner  of  Jefferson  and  Henderson  streets 
and  give  $.500  to  defray  the  expenses  of  grading  and  lieautifying  the 


216  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

grounds.  The  offer  was  accepted  and  the  contract  for  the  erection  of 
the  hiiihhno-  was  let  to  F.  L.  Boher,  the  same  man  who  erected  the 
hbrary  building  at  ^Vyoming. 

The  $6,000  given  bj^  the  Carnegie  Corporation  was  all  used  in 
paying  for  the  building  and  the  furniture  and  fixtures,  which  cost  $900 
more,  were  paid  for  out  of  a  fund  raised  by  popular  subscription.  The 
building  was  opened  to  the  public  on  September  7,  1913.  At  that 
time  there  were  about  two  thousand  volumes  in  the  library,  which  is 
kept  open  on  Tuesday,  Thursday  and  Saturday  afternoons  and  even- 
in  os.  The  amount  of  tax  collected  in  1914  for  the  support  of  the 
library  was  $.563.12. 

In  October.  191.5,  the  library  board  was  composed  of  F.  J.  Rhodes, 
Elmer  H.  Buffum,  Dr.  Clyde  Berfield,  George  S.  ^Valker,  Waiter 
F.  Young,  Fred  JNIiller,  ]Mrs.  L.  T.  Jackson,  JNIrs.  Florence  Kinney 
and  ^Nliss  Ellen  Silliman.  Mr.  Rhodes  was  president  of  the  hoard  and 
jNIiss  Silliman,  secretary. 

The  Ira  C.  Reed  Public  Library,  of  Lafayette,  had  its  origin  in  a 
collection  of  books  that  Mrs.  Ira  C.  Reed  placed  upon  the  shelves  of 
the  two-story  brick  building  erected  for  her  own  residence  in  1897. 
For  about  nine  years  those  books  were  loaned  through  the  library 
association  which  was  formed  for  that  purpose.  At  the  death  of  ^Slrs. 
Reed  the  books  and  building  passed  by  bequest  to  the  Village  of 
Lafayette,  but  at  the  request  of  the  trustees  continued  under  the  con- 
trol of  the  original  association  for  about  two  years  longer. 

In  the  spring  of  1909,  T.  U.  Church  circulated  a  petition  asking 
the  village  government  to  levy  a  tax  for  the  library's  support,  in 
accorilance  with  the  state  law.  A  2-mill  tax  was  accordingly  levied 
and  the  Ira  C.  Reed  Public  Library  became  really  a  public  institution. 
The  next  move  was  to  hold  a  special  election  to  select  the  members  of 
a  board  to  control  the  affairs  of  the  library. 

Prior  to  1907  the  library  was  kept  open  somewhat  irregularly,  as 
tlieie  was  no  regular  librarian  mucb  of  the  time  to  look  after  its  man- 
agement. Miss  Lydia  Hamilton  and  other  pulilic  spirited  young 
people  took  turns  in  acting  as  librarian,  but  in  1907  ^liss  Olive  Hayes 
was  employed  to  attend  to  the  needs  of  the  library  and  lend  books  two 
afternoons  and  evenings  in  each  week. 

In  1911  the  board  of  trustees  organized  the  library  according  to 
law.  by  introducing  the  proper  records,  etc.,  and  JNIiss  INIay  C.  Smith 
succeeded  ]Miss  Hayes  as  librarian.  The  reading  room,  which  has 
proven  to  be  a  popular  adjunct  to  the  library,  was  opened  in  1912.  and 
in  191-1  a  "rental  shelf"  was  added  at  the  recpiest  of  some  of  the 


mSTOKV  OF  STARK  COUNTY  217 

patrons.  Upon  this  shelf  will  he  found  some  of  the  latest  works  of 
fietion,  for  wiiieh  a  small  I'ee  is  eharged. 

The  lihrary  hoard  in  Oetoher,  1915,  was  composed  of  ^liss  JNIay 
C.  Smith,  who  is  president,  INliss  Julia  Snyder,  INIrs.  Agnes  Hoadley, 
C.  G.  Reed,  A.  L.  Dickerson  and  Rev.  T.  O.  Lee.  Mrs.  Hoadley  is 
clerk  of  the  hoard.     Regular  meetings  are  held  monthly. 

The  amount  of  tax  collected  in  1914  for  the  support  of  the  lihrary 
w-as  $110.77.  Tlieie  is  also  the  interest  on  a  small  endowment  of  $700 
and  some  additional  income  from  the  Reed  estate.  On  June  1,  1915, 
the  lihrary  numhered  1,08()  volumes,  quite  a  numher  of  which  were 
given  hy  puhlic  spirited  citizens.  The  lihrary  also  has  a  large  collec- 
tion of  fossils,  minerals,  etc.,  the  gift  of  Jesse  Atherton. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  year  1902,  twelve  young  ladies  of  ]?rad- 
ford,  all  memhers  of  the  same  cluh,  conceived  the  idea  of  a  puhlic 
library.  After  formulating  a  plan  they  succeeded  in  interesting  sev- 
eral of  the  leading  citizens,  with  the  result  that  the  following  lihrary 
board  was  elected:  Cyrus  Bocock,  president;  INIrs.  H.  R.  JNIayhew, 
secretary;  Mrs.  Streeter,  Mrs.  Doctor  Boardman,  D.  .T.  (^wens  and 
Doctor  Minnick. 

Xext  came  the  ])rohlem  of  finances.  The  young  ladies  who  first 
proposed  a  lihrary  went  to  work  with  a  will  to  make  articles  of  all 
kinds  to  be  sold  at  a  bazaar,  and  by  this  means  they  raised  $12.5.  Eight 
hundred  dollars  more  were  added  to  the  fund  through  subscri])tions  on 
the  part  of  the  townspeople,  and  with  this  fund  the  first  books  were 
purchased.  Quite  a  number  of  books  were  donated  by  generously 
inclined  people,  and  the  Bradford  Public  Library  began  to  show  evi- 
dences that  it  had  "come  to  stay."  The  library  was  first  o]:)ened  on 
Saturday,  i\ugust  Ki,  ]9()2.  with  ^Irs.  Streeter  as  librarian,  in  the  hall 
formeily  occupied  by  the  Odd  Fellows'  lodge. 

For  about  three  years  the  Bradford  Library  Association  continued 
in  charge,  the  yoimg  ladies  who  first  projected  the  enterprise  giving 
bazaars  for  the  sale  of  bric-brac  and  articles  of  cookery,  producing 
"home  talent"  plays,  etc.,  the  proceeds  going  to  the  library  fund.  In 
June,  1905,  the  people  of  the  village  voted  to  levy  a  tax  for  the  sup- 
port of  the  libi-ary,  and  it  became  the  property  of  the  village.  The 
amount  of  the  library  tax  collected  in  1914  was  $337. '30.  The  mem- 
bers of  the  board  in  October,  1915,  were:  J.  IT.  Scliolcs,  president; 
jNIrs.  G.  A.  ^larsh,  secretary;  J.  A.  IMcGifford,  Mrs.  Klizabeth  Ren- 
nick,  INIrs.  John  Trimmer  and  jNIrs.  Bert  Deyo.  JNIrs.  Mary  L.  (ierard 
was  tlien  librarian.  The  Bradford  library  is  ke])t  open  on  Tuesday, 
Thursday  and  Saturday  evenings  and  Saturday  afternoon  of  each 


218  HISTOKV  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

week.  About  one  thousand  volumes  are  on  tlie  slielves  and  a  number 
of  periodicals  are  to  be  found  on  the  tal)les  in  the  reading  room.  The 
\Voman's  League,  composed  of  fifty  of  the  representative  women  of 
the  town,  have  recently  started  a  movement  for  tiie  erection  of  a 
library  building. 

The  Elmira  I^ibrary  Association  was  organized  at  the  village 
schoolhouse  on  January  18,  18.5(),  with  Adam  Oliver  as  president  and 
William  Moffitt,  secretary.  Each  member  of  the  association  paid  cer- 
tain dues  each  year  and  was  entitled  to  draw  books  from  the  library. 
This  library  has  never  been  made  a  public  librai'y.  but  is  for  the  ex- 
clusive use  of  the  members  of  the  association. 

In  every  school  district  of  the  county  there  are  a  number  of  books 
for  the  use  of  the  pupils.  The  volumes  are  generally  of  a  historical 
or  scientific  character,  books  of  travel,  etc.,  calculated  to  be  of  assist- 
ance to  the  scholars  in  their  school  work.  The  number  of  volumes  in 
these  school  libraries  at  the  close  of  the  school  year  in  1915  was  8.026. 


CHAPTER  XIII 
THE  BEXCIT  AND  RAK 

I'UKl'OSE  OF  THE  C'OUISTS — THE  LAAVYER  AS  A  CITIZEN EARLY  COUR'l'S 

or  STARK  C'OUXTY^ — I'IRST  JURORS SKETCHES  OK  EARLY   .TIMXJKS-  - 

LIST  OF  CIUCUIT  JUDGES  SINCE   1839— CONSTITUTIONAL  PROVISIONS 

CONCERNING  COURTS PROBATE  COURT COUNTY  COURT  AND  JUDGES 

— state's  ATTORNEYS UNITED  STATES  COURTS THE  BAR CONDI- 

■I'lONS  OF  EARIA-  DAYS — SKETCHES  OF  OLD-TIME  LAWYERS — THE  BAR 
OF  1915 CRIMINAL  CASES A  STRAY  INCIDENT. 

Ill  the  very  dawn  of  civilization  the  legishitor  and  the  lawyer  made 
their  appearance  and  imieh  of  the  history  of  every  civilized  country  or 
coniiiiunity  centers  about  the  law  s  and  the  manner  in  which  they  are 
enforced.  "To  establish  justice"  was  written  into  the  Federal  C'cn- 
stitution  by  the  founders  of  the  American  Republic  as  one  of  the 
j)rimary  and  jKiramount  purposes  of  government.  The  founders  of 
that  republic  also  showed  their  wisdom  in  separatino-  the  functions  of 
the  g()vernment  into  three  departments — the  legislative,  the  executive 
and  the  judicial — the  first  to  enact,  the  second  to  execute,  and  the 
third  to  interpret  the  nation's  laws.  States  have  copied  this  system, 
so  that  in  every  state  there  are  a  Legislature  to  i)ass  laws,  a  sui)reme 
and  subordinate  courts  to  interpret  them  and  a  governor  as  the  chief 
executive  otficer  to  see  that  they  are  fairly  and  impartially  enforced. 

The  law  is  a  jealous  profession.  It  demands  of  the  judge  on  the 
bench  and  the  attorney  at  the  bar  alike  a  careful,  conscientious  effort 
to  secure  the  administration  of  justice — "speedy  and  substantial,  effi- 
cient, equitable  and  economical."  Within  recent  years  there  have 
been  some  rather  caustic  criticisms  of  the  courts  for  their  delays,  and 
a  great  deal  has  been  said  in  the  columns  of  the  public  press  about  the 
need  of  "judicial  rel'orm."  Concerning  the  tendency  to  criticize  the 
courts,  one  of  the  justices  of  the  Ohio  Supreme  Court  recently  said: 

"A  reasonable  amount  of  criticism  is  good  for  a  public  otficer — 
even  a  judge.  It  keeps  reminding  him  that,  after  all.  he  is  only  a 
public  servant;  that  he  must  give  an  account  of  his  stewardshi]),  as  to 

219 


o 


220  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

his  efficiency,  the  same  as  any  other  servant ;  that  the  same  tests  applied 
to  private  servants  in  private  husiness  should  he  applied  to  public 
servants  in  public  business,  whether  executives,  legislators  or  judges — 
at  least  that  is  the  public  view.  \V()uld  it  not  be  more  wholesome  if 
more  public  officers,  especially  judges,  took  the  same  view?" 

Perhaps  some  of  the  criticisms  have  been  made  for  good  cause,  but 
unfortunately  many  have  condemned  the  entire  judiciary  system  be- 
cause some  judge  has  failed  to  measiu-e  up  to  the  proper  standard,  and 
the  entire  legal  profession  has  been  denounced  as  one  of  trickery  be- 
cause some  lawyer  has  adopted  the  tactics  of  the  pettifogger.  It 
sh.ould  not  be  forgotten,  in  exercising  the  right  of  free  press  or  free 
speech,  that  some  of  the  greatest  men  in  our  national  history  were 
lawyers.  John  Marshall,  one  of  the  early  chief  justices  of  the  United 
States  Supreme  Court,  was  a  man  whose  memory  is  revered  by  the 
American  people  and  his  legal  oj^inions  are  still  quoted  with  confidence 
and  respect  by  his  profession.  Thomas  Jefferson,  Robert  R.  Living- 
ston and  James  JNIonroe,  who  negotiated  the  Louisiana  Purchase  and 
gave  to  their  country  an  empire  in  extent,  were  all  laAvyers.  Daniel 
Webster,  Heiuy  Clay,  Salmon  P.  Chase,  Stephen  A.  Douglas, 
Thomas  M.  Cooley  and  a  host  of  other  eminent  Americans  wrote 
th.eir  names  permanently  upon  history's  pages  through  their  knowl- 
edge and  interpretation  of  the  laws,  and  all  were  men  whose  jjatriotism 
and  love  of  justice  were  unquestioned.  And  last,  but  not  least,  was 
Abraham  Lincoln,  self-educated  and  self-reliant,  whose  consummate 
tact  and  statesmanship  saved  the  Union  from  disruption. 

THE    CIRCUIT   COURT 

The  first  session  of  the  Stark  County  Circuit  Court  was  held  at  the 
house  of  William  H.  Henderson,  about  one  mile  south  of  the  jjresent 
county  seat,  lieginning  on  October  11.  18.39.  Judge  Thomas  Ford  pre- 
sided, Augustus  A.  Dunn  was  sheriff,  John  W.  Henderson,  who  was 
not  quite  twenty-one  years  of  age,  was  appointed  clerk  for  the  occa- 
sion, and  Xorman  J.  Purple  appeared  as  state's  attorney.  In  anticipa- 
tion of  the  session,  the  county  commissioners,  on  June  .j,  1839.  had 
selected  the  following  citizens  to  serve  as  grand  jurors:  ^l.  G.  Brace, 
Asa  Currier,  Henry  Seely,  Joseph  Avery,  INIoses  Boardman,  Henry 
Breese,  Samuel  Love,  Samuel  Seely,  Nero  Mounts,  IIo\\ar(l  Ogle, 
John  Finley,  William  Porter,  Sumner  Shaw,  Nehemiah  Wycoff, 
Luther  Driscoll,  Conrad  Emery,  John  Hester.  David  Simmerman. 
Nathaniel  Swarts,  Israel  Dawson,  Adam  Day,  Adam  Perry  and 
AN'illiam  jNIahanev. 


IIISTORV  OF  STARK  COUNTY  221 

Tlie  petit  jurors,  selected  at  the  same  time,  were:  Uol)ert  Sliarer, 
Xielioias  Sturm,  Isaac  Spencer,  James  Euswell,  Horace  \'ail,  Xehe- 
miah  Merritt,  Christopher  Sammis,  Thomas  Timmouds,  Washington 
Trickle,  Thomas  S.  Clark,  George  Eckley,  Jacob  Smitli.  Washington 
Colwell,  Samuel  Harris,  Calvin  Powell,  Sr.,  P^lijah  Elt/roth.  Daniel 
Hodgson.  Heiu-v  MeCknahan.  Milton  Hichards,  Jeremiah  Bennett, 
3Jinott  Silliman.  William  Rowen,  David  Cooper  and  Josiah  Motlit. 

From  each  of  these  lists  were  to  be  selected  "twelve  good  men  and 
true,"  to  perform  the  duties  of  jui-ors  as  re(|uiied  l)y  law.  Some  of 
those  summoned  as  grand  jurors  i'ailed  to  appear  and  the  court  or- 
dered the  sheriff  to  summon  two  others  from  the  l)ystanders.  James 
:McClenahan  and  ^^'illiam  \V.  Drmumond  were  chosen,  Luther  Dris- 
coU  was  appointed  foreman,  and  the  grand  jury  retired  to  a  corn  crib 
to  hear  and  determine  such  business  as  might  come  before  it.  Gen. 
Thomas  J.  Henderson,  in  an  address  before  the  Old  Settlers'  Asso- 
ciation some  years  afterward,  said: 

'T  can  hardly  remember  where  these  juries  met,  but  think  one  of 
them  at  least  occupied  a  log  crib  or  stable  belonging  to  my  father: 
however,  I  do  well  recall  that  the  first  lessons  in  jin-ispiudence  which 
I  received  were  taken  in  a  board  loft,  looking  down  thn)ugh  the  cracks, 
u])on  that  most  dignified  tribunal,  the  first  Circuit  Court  of  Stark 
County." 

.fudae  Thomas  Ford,  who  i)resided  at  that  term  of  court,  was 
born  in  the  State  of  Pennsylvania  in  the  year  1800.  When  but  four 
years  old  he  was  taken  by  his  widowed  mother  to  Missouri,  where  the 
family  lived  but  a  short  time,  when  they  removed  to  Illinois.  He  was 
given  a  good  education,  studied  law,  and  before  being  elevated  to  the 
bench  served  as  state's  attorney.  Mrs.  Shallenberger  describes  hi)n 
as  "a  man  thoroughly  resi)ected  by  all  classes  of  the  community,  both 
for  the  evenhanded  justice  he  dispensed  from  the  bench  and  the  staiji- 
less  integrity  that  ever  characterized  him  as  a  politician."  Under  the 
constitution  of  1818.  the  Legislature  appointed  the  judges  of  the  cir- 
cuit courts,  conseciuently  Judge  Foi-d  held  his  office  by  legislative 
a])pointment.  After  serving  on  the  bench  until  August,  1842,  he  re- 
signed to  l)ecome  a  candidate  for  governor  of  Illinois,  having  been 
nominated  for  that  high  office  l)y  the  democratic  party.  He  was 
elected  governor  in  the  fall  of  that  year  and  at  the  conclusion  of  his 
term  devoted  some  time  to  writing  a  history  of  the  state,  which  was 
published  in  184.7.     His  death  occiu-red  in  18.50. 

On  August  20.  1842,  immediately  after  the  resignation  of  Judge 
Ford.  John  Dean  Caton  was  a])pointed  judge  of  the  old  Ninth  Judicial 


222  HlSTOliY  OF  STARK  COUXTV 

Circuit,  ol'  which  Stark  County  formed  a  part.  The  circuit,  at  the 
time  of  Ju(l<j;c  Caton's  a])])oiiitmciit,  was  composed  of  the  counties  of 
Peoria,  Marshall,  Putnam,  La  Salle,  Kendall,  De  Kalh,  Kane,  O^le, 
Bureau  and  Stai'k,  a  territory  of  over  five  thousand  square  miles. 
Judge  Caton  was  a  man  of  fair  legal  attainments,  though  it  has  been 
said  that  "his  strict  adherence  to  the  dogmas  of  the  democratic  jjarty 
sometimes  blinded  his  sense  of  justice.  One  of  the  duties  of  the  circuit 
jutlge  of  that  ^Jcriod  was  the  ajjpointment  of  a  clerk  ui'  the  Circuit 
Court.  In  Stark  Count}'  there  arose  a  spirited  contest  between  John 
W.  Henderson  and  Oliver  Whitaker  for  the  office.  The  latter,  being 
a  democrat,  received  the  appointment,  which  caused  Judge  Caton  to 
be  criticized  by  some  of  Henderson's  friends,  though  after  the  clerk's 
office  was  made  elective,  JMr.  Whitaker  was  chosen  by  the  people  and 
held  the  jjosition  for  several  years. 

Following  Judge  Caton  came  Judge  Koerner,  who  remained  on 
the  bench  until  the  adoption  of  the  constitution  of  1848,  by  which  the 
cii-cuit  judges  were  made  elective  by  the  people.  Under  the  new  con- 
stitution Stark  County  was  placed  in  the  Xinth  Judicial  Circuit,  of 
^\hich  T.  L.  Dickey,  of  Peoria,  was  elected  judge.  He  was  a  lawyer 
of  more  than  ordinary  ability,  a  good  judge,  and  many  regretted  the 
change  which  placed  Stark  Comity  in  the  Tenth  Circuit,  throwing 
Judge  Dickey  into  another  district. 

H.  M.  Wead  was  elected  the  first  judge  of  the  Tenth  Circuit,  but 
for  some  reason  failed  to  (|ualify  and  William  Kellogg  was  appointed 
to  the  vacancy.  Judge  Kellogg  was  one  of  the  leading  lawyers  of  this 
section  of  the  state  prior  to  his  elevation  to  the  bench.  In  18.50  he  was 
elected  for  a  second  term  and  served  until  another  change  in  the  judicial 
districts  placed  Stark  County  in  the  Sixteenth  Circuit  in  1853.  After 
retiring  from  the  bench  Judge  Kellogg  was  elected  to  Congress.  He 
then  resumed  the  practice  of  law  in  Peoria,  where  he  died  some  years 
later. 

Onslow  Peters  was  elected  judge  of  the  Sixteenth  Circuit  in 
March,  18.53.  He  was  a  native  of  INIassachusetts,  studied  law  in  his 
native  state,  came  to  Peoria,  Avhere  he  built  up  a  lucrative  practice 
and  won  the  reputation  of  being  an  able  and  successful  attorney.  He 
was  a  lawyer  of  the  old  school,  scholarly,  courteous  and  dignified,  and 
well  liked  by  everybody  with  whom  he  came  in  contact.  His  death 
occurred  at  Washington,  D.  C,  in  February.  1850. 

In  April,  18.5(5,  following  the  death  of  Judge  Peters,  Jacob  Gale 
was  elected  judge  of  the  Sixteenth  Circuit,  but,  like  Judge  Wead,  he 
declined  to  serve.    Elihu  N.  Powell  was  ajipointed  and  at  the  expira- 


HISTOKV   OF  STARK  COL'NTV  223 

tion  of  the  tei'iu  lie  was  elected  to  the  office  and  eontiimed  on  the  l)eiich 
until  18(J1.  Before  becoming  jud<>e  he  was  engaged  in  the  practice 
of  law  at  Peoria,  and  upon  retiring  from  the  office  resumed  his  prac- 
tice in  that  city.    He  died  there  on  July  1.3,  1871. 

Amos  L.  JMerriman  was  elected  circuit  judge  in  1861,  defeating 
Judge  Powell.  Prior  to  that  time  he  had  been  associated  with  his 
brother,  H.  O.  Merriman,  in  the  practice  of  law  at  Peoria  and  the 
firm  of  jMerriman  &  IMerriman  had  an  enviable  reputation  throughout 
a  large  jjortion  of  the  Illinois  Valley.  He  resigned  in  18(53,  a  short 
time  before  the  expiration  of  the  term  for  which  he  was  elected,  and 
removed  to  Washington,  D.  C. 

In  Xovember,  1863,  JMarion  \\'^illiamson  was  elected  circuit  judge, 
his  opponent  having  been  iNIartin  Shallenberger,  of  Stark  County. 
Judge  ^Villiamson  was  a  native  of  Adams  County,  Ohio,  but  came 
to  Peoria  soon  after  his  admission  to  the  bar  and  rose  rapidly  in  his 
profession.  He  continued  on  the  bench  until  1867  and  his  decisions 
were  noted  for  their  simplicity  of  language  and  clear  statements  of 
the  law.    His  death  occurred  at  Peoria  in  1868. 

Sabin  D.  Puterliaugh  was  elected  in  1867  to  succeed  Judge  Wil- 
liamson and  continued  on  the  bench  until  the  adoption  of  the  new 
State  Constitution  of  1870.  He  was  the  author  of  a  w-ork  on  "Plead- 
ing and  Practice,"  \\  hich  has  been  widely  used  in  the  courts  of  Illinois 
and  is  recognized  as  an  authority  on  those  branches  of  law. 

Article  VI,  section  13,  of  the  Constitution  of  1870,  provides  that 
"The  state,  exclusive  of  Cook  County  and  other  counties  bavin"-  a 
population  of  100,000,  shall  be  divided  into  judicial  circuits,  prior  to 
the  expiration  of  the  terms  of  office  of  the  present  judges  of  the 
circuit  courts.  Such  circuits  shall  be  formed  of  contiguous  counties, 
in  as  nearly  compact  form  and  as  nearly  equal  as  circumstances  will 
permit,  having  due  regard  to  business,  territory  and  population,  atid 
shall  not  exceed  in  number  one  circuit  for  every  100.000  population 
in  the  state." 

It  was  also  provided  in  the  constitution  that  the  first  election  of 
judges  under  the  new  regime  should  occur  on  "'the  first  JNIonday  in 
June,  1873,  and  each  six  years  thereafter." 

Pm-suant  to  these  constitutional  provisions,  the  General  Assembly 
passed  an  act.  a]>proved  March  '28,  1873,  dividing  the  state  into 
judicial  districts,  the  counties  of  Peoria  and  Stark  constituting  the 
Ninth  Circuit.  At  the  election  on  the  first  Monday  in  June,  1873, 
Sal)in  D.  Puterbaugh,  John  Eurns  and  Joseph  W.  Cochran  were 
elected  judges,  each  district  being  entitled  to  three.     Judge  Pviter- 


224  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

baugh  resigned  soon  after  his  election  and  was  succeeded  by  Henry  B. 
Hopkins,  of  Peoria. 

Uavid  jNlcCiilloch  succeeded  Juilge  Cochran  in  aVugust,  1877,  and 
in  1870  the  judges  elected  were  John  Burns,  David  ^McCulloch  and 
JNIilton  ^1.  Laws.  In  the  meantime  a  change  had  been  made  in  the 
circuit,  the  counties  of  Putnam,  jNlaishall,  ^Voodford,  Tazewell, 
Peoria  and  Stark  constituting  the  Eighth  Judicial  Circuit  under  the 
provisions  of  the  act  of  June  2,  1877. 

In  1885  there  was  a  complete  change  in  the  judges  of  the  Eighth 
Circuit,  Thomas  M.  Shaw,  Nathan  W.  Green  and  Samuel  S.  Page 
being  elected.  Judge  Page  retired  and  on  April  5,  1890,  L.  W. 
James  was  appointed  to  fill  out  the  unexpired  term.  The  judges 
elected  in  1891  were:  Nathan  W.  Green,  Thomas  ]M.  Shaw  and 
Nicholas  E.  Worthington. 

Another  change  in  the  judicial  districts  was  made  by  the  act  of 
April  23.  1897,  whicli  placed  the  counties  of  Peoria.  ^Nlarslial!.  Put- 
nam, Stark  and  Tazewell  in  the  Tenth  Circuit,  Woodford  County 
being  added  to  the  Eleventh.  Under  the  new  law  the  following  judges 
were  elected  for  the  Tenth  Circuit  on  the  first  INIonday  in  June,  1897: 
Tliomas  JNI.  Shaw,  of  Lacon;  Leslie  D.  Puterbaugh  and  Nicholas  E. 
AVorthington,  of  Peoria.  Judge  Shaw  dieil  before  the  expiration  of 
liis  term  ami  on  September  3,  1901,  Theodore  N.  Green,  of  Peoria, 
was  elected  at  a  special  election  to  the  vacancy.  All  three  of  these 
judges — Puterbaugh,  Green  and  Worthington — were  reelected  in 
1903  and  again  in  1909. 

Judge  Puterbaugh  resigned  in  October,  1913,  to  become  a  candi- 
date for  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Illinois,  and  John  INI.  Niehaus 
was  elected  for  the  remainder  of  the  term.  In  June,  1915,  the  present 
judges  of  the  Circuit  Court — John  INI.  Niehaus,  Theodore  N.  Green 
and  Clyde  E.  Stone — were  elected. 

Such  in  brief  has  been  the  history  and  personnel  of  the  Circuit 
Court  since  the  organization  of  Stark  County  in  1839.  And  though 
none  of  the  men  who  luive  presided  over  the  Stark  Circuit  Court  has 
been  a  judge  of  "national  re])utation,"  most  of  them  liave  been  ca])- 
able,  conscientious  judges,  discharging  their  official  duties  with  due 
regard  to  the  dignity  of  their  office,  the  riglits  of  litigants  and  the 
general  Melfare  of  the  community. 

PROBATE  COURT 

The  Constitution  of  1818,  under  which  Illinois  was  admitted  to 
stateliood,  provided  for  an  official  known  as  the  probate  justice  in  each 


HISTORV  OF  STAKK  COUNTY  225 

county.  John  Millev  was  elected  ])rol)ate  justice  of  Stark  County  on 
August  .5,  18yi>,  the  tirst  man  to  hold  tliat  olHeial  position  in  the  county. 
He  was  succeeded  in  IHi'ii  by  Jonathan  Hodgson,  wiio  served  until 
184.T,  when  he  in  turn  was  succeeded  by  S.  ^\^  J^astnian.  'I'he  last 
probate  justice  in  the  county  was  Harvey  J.  Kliodes,  who  was  elected 
in  April.  184.9,  to  fill  out  the  unexpired  term  of  Mr.  Eastman.  He 
served  but  a  short  time,  when  the  otfiee  was  abolished  by  law.  The 
probate  justice  was  not  requiied  to  have  a  profound  knowledge  of 
rhe  law,  his  business,  as  the  name  indicates,  being  mereh^  to  act  in 
matters  of  a  probate  nature,  such  as  the  settlement  of  estates,  etc. 

COUNTY  COURT 

Article  VI,  section  18,  of  the  Constitution  of  1870,  provides  that 
"There  shall  be  elected  in  and  for  each  countj%  one  county  judge  and 
one  clerk  of  the  county  court,  whose  terms  of  office  shall  be  four 
years.  *  *  *  County  courts  shall  be  coiu'ts  of  record,  and 
shall  have  original  jurisdiction  in  all  matters  of  probate,  settlement 
of  estates  of  deceased  ])ersons.  appointment  of  guardians  and  conserv- 
ators, and  settlement  of  their  accounts,  in  all  matters  pei'taining  to 
apprentices,  and  in  proceedings  for  the  collection  of  taxes  and  assess- 
ments, and  such  other  jurisdiction  as  may  he  provided  for  by  general 
law." 

Prior  to  the  ado})tion  of  that  constitution,  however,  the  office  of 
county  judge  had  been  created  by  the  Constitution  of  18-18,  the  county 
court  thus  established  taking  the  place  of  the  l)oar(l  of  county  com- 
missioners until  the  adoi)tion  of  township  organization.  The  county 
judges  of  Stark  County,  with  the  year  in  which  each  Avas  elected,  have 
been  as  follows:  James  Holgate,  184-1);  David  JNlcCance,  18G1 ;  Hugh 
Rhodes,  18().j;  W.  W.  Wright,  1873;  ^liles  A.  Fuller,  1886;  W.  W. 
Wright,  1890;  Bradford  F.  Thompson,  1902  (reelected  and  died  in 
office,  Frank  Thomas  being  elected  to  the  vacancy  in  December, 
1912)  ;  Frank  Thomas,  1914. 

STATERS  ATTOENEY 

Before  the  adoption  of  the  Constitution  of  1848  the  state's  attor- 
ney "rode  the  circuit,"  practicing  in  all  the  counties  of  the  judicial 
district.  The  first  man  to  serve  in  that  capacity  in  Stark  County  was 
Xornian  H.  Purple,  Avho  was  in  attendance  upon  the  court  at  the  first 
session,  which  was  held  at  the  house  of  Colonel  Henderson  in  October, 


226  HlSTOllV  OF  STAHK  COUNTY 

1839.  JNIr.  Purple  was  distinguished  for  his  legal  ability  and  served 
as  judge  of  Fulton  County  from  184.5  to  1849.  After  that  he  declined 
all  public  honors  and  devoted  his  time  to  his  profession.  Benjanun  F. 
Fridley,  of  Ottawa,  was  the  last  state's  attorney  previous  to  the  adop- 
tion of  a  new  constitution  in  1848.  Since  that  time  Stark  County  has 
always  had  a  state's  attorney  of  her  own,  to-wit:  Burton  C.  Cook, 
1848;  Aaron  Tyler,  Jr.,  18.50;  E.  G.  Johnson,  18.5-2;  Alexander 
iAlcCoy,  1856;  Charles  P.  Taggart,  1864;  James  H.  JNIiller,  1872; 
Bradford  F.  Thompson,  1876;  John  E.  Decker,  1884;  B.  F.  Thomp- 
son. 1888;  J.  li.  Rennick,  1892;  John  W.  Fling,  Jr.,  1912. 

UNITED  .STATES  COUKTS 

The  State  of  Illinois  is  divided  into  three  Federal  Court  districts — 
the  Northern,  Southern  and  Eastern.  The  Southern  District  is  sub- 
divided into  two  divisions.  The  northern  division  is  composed  of  the 
counties  of  Bureau,  Fulton,  Henderson,  Henry,  Knox,  Livingston, 
]\IcDonough,  INIarshall,  JNIercer,  Putnam,  Peoria,  Rock  Island,  Stark, 
Tazewell,  Warren  and  Woodford.  Two  terms  of  the  United  States 
District  Covu't  are  held  in  this  division  annually,  beginning  on  tlie 
third  JMonday  in  April  and  October  at  Peoria. 

THE   BAK 

In  early  days  it  was  the  exception  rather  than  the  rule  for  a  lawyer 
to  have  a  nicely  furnished  office  and  an  extensive  library.  Litigants 
Mere  somewhat  scarce,  large  fees  were  seldom  charged  or  collected  for 
legal  services,  and  about  all  the  lawyer  in  a  young  and  growing  com- 
munity could  do  was  "to  hang  on  and  hope  for  lietter  times."  The 
judicial  circuit  generally  comprised  several  counties  and  as  the  judge 
rode  from  one  county  seat  to  another  to  hold  court,  he  was  often 
accompanied  by  several  attorneys,  carrying  the  principal  jiortion  of 
their  libraries  in  their  saddlebags  with  a  clean  shirt  and  an  extra  pair 
of  socks.  Sometimes  these  attorneys  would  have  a  client  in  the  county 
to  which  they  were  bound,  but  many  times  they  "just  went  along," 
hoping  to  pick  up  a  case  Avhen  the  court  opened. 

"Riding  the  circuit"  was  a  strenuous  way  of  practicing  law.  but  it 
was  not  altogether  void  of  pleasant  ex])eriences.  After  the  adjoui-n- 
ment  of  court  for  the  day,  the  judge  and  the  attorneys  would  gather 
in  the  big  room  of  the  tavern  and  spend  the  evening  "swapping  yarns." 
relating  their  experiences  in  coiu't.  and  occasionally  taking  a  small 


IIISTORV   OF  STARK  COUNTY  227 

drink  of  something  to  ward  off  malaria.  In  fact,  there  was  a  frater- 
nity among  tlie  hiwyers  and  judges  of  "ye  olden  time"  that  has  heeii 
dispelled  by  the  increase  of  litigation  and  tiie  iael  that  nearly  every 
attorney  of  the  present  day  has  a  library  of  his  own  anil  is  not  com- 
pelletl  to  borrow  books  from  counsel  of  the  opposition. 

And  there  were  good  lawyers  in  those  days — men  whose  knowl- 
edge of  law  and  powers  of  oratory  were  equal  to  many  of  tlie  grad- 
uates of  law  schools  oi"  later  years.  Tliey  were  students  of  human 
nature  and  knew  how  to  swing  the  jury  to  their  side,  and  they  were 
nearly  always  attentive  to  the  needs  of  their  clients,  conscientious  in 
their  advice,  and  persistent  in  their  efforts  to  win  their  cases,  not 
simply  for  the  fee  or  the  honor  that  would  come  to  them,  but  because 
their  client  would  profit  bv  the  court's  decision. 

When  Stark  County  was  organr/.ed  there  was  not  an  attorney 
within  its  limits.  Consequently,  the  practice  in  the  early  courts  was 
nearly  all  given  to  the  "circuit  riders."  Among  those  who  practiced 
in  the  Stark  Circuit  Court  prior  to  the  Civil  war  w^ere:  J.  S.  Fancher, 
William  F.  Bryan.  T.orin  G.  Pratt,  L.  B.  Knowlton,  Ilemy  B.  Hop- 
kins. E.  G.  Johnson,  Ezra  G.  Sanger  and  JNlerriman  ^:  ^lerriman,  of 
Peoria;  H.  G.  Reynolds,  Leander  Douglas,  H.  N.  Keightly  and 
Julius  JMamiing.  of-Knoxville;  Levi  North,  C.  K.  Ladd  and  John  II. 
Howe,  of  Kewanee;  C.  K.  Harvey,  Ira  O.  ^Vilkinson  and  Robert 
Wilkinson,  of  Rock  Island;  Silas  Ramsey  and  Ira  J.  Fenn.  of  Lacon; 
Hiram  Bigelow,  of  Galva,  and  George  W.  Stipp,  commonly  called 
"Judge"  Stipp,  of  Bureau  County. 

Several  of  these  pioneer  lawyers  achieved  ijrominence  in  their 
chosen  profession,  and  a  few  of  them  became  known  in  other  connec- 
tions. John  H.  Howe,  of  Kewanee,  was  colonel  of  the  One  Hundred 
and  Twenty-fourth  Illinois  Infantry  in  the  Civil  war,  and  after  the 
wai-  served  as  circuit  judge.  H.  G.  Reynolds,  who  located  at  Knox- 
ville  about  18.51  was  state's  attorney  and  postmaster.  In  18.54  he 
removed  to  Springfield  and  later  to  Kansas,  where  he  became  promi- 
nent as  an  attorney.  Lorin  G.  Pratt  went  from  Peoria  to  Chicago 
soon  after  the  war  and  won  a  high  standing  at  the  Cook  County  bar. 
C.  K.  Harvey  was  a  typical  circuit  riding  lawyer.  Full  of  enthusiasm 
for  his  work,  (juick  to  gras])  a  situation,  and  never  averse  to  playing 
a  practical  joke  on  some  brother  attorney,  he  was  regarded  as  one  of 
the  ])opular  and  reliable  lawyers  of  his  day. 

One  of  the  most  noted  lawyers  of  pioneer  times  was  Richard  M. 
^'ounff,  who  held  the  first  circuit  conrt  in  Putnam  Countv  in  ^lav. 
18.'n.     He  was  a  Kentnckian  bv  liirth.  but  came  to  Illinois  while  still 


228  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

a  young  man  and  in  1828  was  appointed  circuit  judge.  He  remained 
on  the  bench  until  1837,  when  he  resigned  to  accept  a  seat  in  the 
United  States  Senate.  He  was  recognized  as  an  authority  on  the  con- 
stitution and  laws  of  state  and  nation  and  tried  a  few  cases  in  Stark 
County  during  the  early  history  of  the  Circuit  Court.  After  many 
years  of  usefulness  he  became  insane  and  died  without  regaining  his 
reason. 

Of  the  resident  lawyers  of  Stark  County,  \V.  W.  Drunmiond  is 
credited  with  being  the  first.  In  his  early  practice  in  the  Circuit  Court 
of  Stark  County  he  was  frequently  assisted  by  Julius  ]\Ianning,  who 
was  a  very  able  and  successful  lawyer.  W.  J.  Phelps,  the  second  resi- 
dent attorney,  located  at  Toulon  soon  after  the  county  seat  was  estab- 
lished there,  but  did  not  remain  long,  leaving  in  1846  for  the  West. 

One  of  the  best  remembered  lawyers  of  early  days  was  ^Martin 
Shallenberger.  He  was  born  in  Fayette  County,  Pennsylvania, 
December  3,  182.5.  and  received  a  common  school  education  in  that 
county.  In  18.38  his  family  removed  to  Illinois,  locating  in  the  north- 
ern part  of  Fulton  County.  INIartin  finished  his  education  in  the 
Peoria  Academy  and  early  in  the  year  18-46  began  the  study  of  law 
under  Onslow  Peters,  afterward  judge  of  the  circuit  court.  By 
Morking  diligently  for  a  little  over  a  year,  he  was  ready  for  admission, 
])assed  the  examination  with  credit  and  was  formally  admitted  to  the 
bar  by  Judges  Caton  and  Treat  of  the  Illinois  Supreme  Court.  The 
same  year  he  opened  an  office  in  Toulon  and  for  more  than  iialf  a 
century  was  a  leading  figure  at'  the  Stark  County  bar.  Although 
always  interested  in  public  affairs,  ^Ir.  Shallenberger  never  held  but 
one  political  office,  that  of  representative  in  the  Legislature  of  18.57. 
He  was  an  artist  of  more  than  ordinary  ability  and  it  is  said  painted 
more  than  two  hundred  pictures,  many  of  them  of  rare  excellence. 
Several  young  men  studied  law  with  ]Mr.  Shallenberger.  Among 
these  may  be  named  Robert  Barr,  Ford  D.  Smith,  Thomas  D.  Higgs 
and  Frank  ]Marsh,  all  of  whom  practiced  in  the  Stark  Circuit  Court 
at  some  period  of  its  history  with  honor  to  themselves  and  their  pre- 
cejitor. 

jNIr.  Shallenberger's  Swiss  ancestors  dwelt  upon  the  mountain 
called  the  Schallenberg,  in  Canton  Uri,  and  when  sm-names  were 
adopted  l)y  the  Swiss  i^eojile  in  the  Eleventh  Century  they  became 
known  as  the  "Schallenbergers."  This  was  the  origin  of  the  name, 
though  in  later  years  the  spelling  was  simplified  by  dropping  the  letter 
"c"  from  the  first  syllable.  In  June,  1840,  he  married  ]Miss  Eliza  H., 
daugliter  of  Dr.  Thomas  Hall,  who  in  1876  published  her  "Stark 


IIISTOKV  OF  STARK  COUNTY  229 

County  and  Its  Pioneers,"  an  interesting  little  vohinie  containing 
many  valuable  facts  concerning  the  early  days  in  Stark  County.  One 
son  of  this  marriage,  Ashton  C.  Shallenherger,  was  at  one  time  gover- 
nor of  Nebraska  and  is  now  (1915)  a  member  of  Congress  from  that 
state. 

On  at  least  one  occasion  ^lartin  Shalienberger  turned  his  artistic 
talent  to  good  account  in  his  law  practice.  lie  was  employed  to 
defend  a  man  charged  with  stealing  a  hog.  \Vhile  the  state's  attorney 
was  addressing  the  jury,  INIr.  Shallenherger  took  a  piece  of  charcoal 
from  the  stove  in  the  old  court  room  and  in  a  fit  of  apparent  absent- 
mindedness  began  drawing  a  jMcture  of  a  man  driving  a  hog,  on  the 
wall  opposite  the  jury  box.  The  jurors  grew  so  intent  in  watching 
the  work  of  the  artist  that  they  lost  the  thread  of  the  prosecutor's  arg\i- 
ment  and  Shallenherger  won  his  case.  Similar  stories  of  his  eccen- 
tricities are  told  by  old  residents  of  Toulon,  but  taken  all  in  all  JNIartin 
Shalienberger  was  uncpiestionably  one  of  the  ablest  lawyers  that  ever 
])racticed  in  Stark  County.    His  death  occurred  on  January  4,  1904. 

C^eorge  A.  Clifford,  who  lias  been  repeatedly  mentioned  in  these 
pages,  was  another  ])ioneer  lawyer  of  Stark.  He  was  a  native  of 
Massachusetts,  but  at  an  early  date  came  to  Illinois  and  settled  at 
Rochester,  in  the  northern  part  of  Peoria  County.  His  first  law  prac- 
tice in  Illinois  was  in  the  Circuit  Court  at  Knoxville.  after  which  he 
went  to  Chicago  and  there  became  city  editor  of  the  old  Chicago 
Democrat.  Returning  to  Toulon  he  resumed  the  ])racticc  of  law  and 
in  1S.J8  formed  a  partnership  with  Patrick  M.  Hlair.  Two  years 
later  he  was  one  of  the  editors  of  the  Stark  County  Democrat  dni'ing 
the  political  campaign  and  in  lS(i2  was  appointed  master  in  chancery. 
He  also  served  on  numerous  occasions  as  stenogra])her  and  court 
reporter.  JNIr.  Clifford  had  a  taste  for  literary  work  and  wrote  the 
first  history  of  Stark  County.  In  later  years  he  became  dissijiated  in 
his  habits  and  met  his  death  by  falling  from  a  window  in  Washing- 
ton. 1).  C. 

Patrick  ^I.  Rlair.  mentioned  in  tlie  above  paragra])h.  was  born 
at  Frankfort,  Ky.,  April  10,  1829,  only  a  few  days  before  Isaac 
R.  Essex,  the  first  white  man  to  settle  in  Stark  County,  l)uilt 
his  cal)iii  in  the  Sjioon  River  Valley.  His  ancestors  took  part  in  the 
Revolutionary  war  and  the  War  of  1812.  He  was  educated  at  the 
St.  Louis  F^niversity,  studied  law  with  his  cousin,  ^Montgomery  Rlair, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Ottawa.  111.,  in  18.)0.  Four  years 
later  he  became  a  resident  of  Toulon,  where  he  and  .lohn  Rerfield 
o])ened  the  first  lumber  yard  ever  known  to  the  town.     In  18.)8  he  and 


230  IIISTOllV  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

George  A.  Clifford  formed  a  partnership  for  the  practice  of  hn\  and 
for  a  time  had  their  office  in  the  courthouse.  The  partnershij) 
(Hd  not  hist  long  and  after  its  dissolution  ^Ir.  Jilair  became  associated 
with  James  Hewitt.  In  1800  he  was  elected  circuit  clerk,  which  office 
he  held  for  eight  years,  and  he  was  one  of  the  active  organizers  of  the 
Peoria  &  Rock  Island  Railroad  Company.  In  1886  he  was  appointed 
master  in  chancery.  Throughout  his  legal  career  he  was  recognized 
as  an  able  and  consistent  lawyer,  always  attentive  to  the  interests  of 
his  clients. 

Thomas  J.  Henderson,  a  member  of  the  well  known  Henderson 
family  which  played  a  conspicuous  part  in  the  early  history  of  Stark 
County,  was  born  at  Brownsville,  Tenn..  Xovember  29,  IS'Jl,  and 
came  to  Stark  County  with  his  parents  when  he  was  twelve  years 
of  age.  Before  arriving  at  his  majority  he  taught  school  in  what  is 
now  West  Jersey  Township  and  later  in  the  "Old  Brick"  at  Toulon. 
In  1847  he  was  elected  clerk  to  the  board  of  county  commissioners. 
Two  years  later,  when  the  county  court  took  the  place  of  the  com- 
missioners, he  was  made  clerk  of  that  tribunal  and  served  until  18,33, 
when  he  began  the  practice  of  law.  In  lH5i  he  was  elected  to  the 
lower  house  of  the  Illinois  Legislature,  and  in  18.50  was  elected  state 
senator  for  the  district  composed  of  Henry,  Knox,  fiercer.  Rock 
Island,  Stark  and  Warren  counties.  On  August  11,  1802,  he  was 
mustered  into  the  United  States  service  as  colonel  of  the  One  Hundred 
and  Twelfth  Illinois  Infantry  and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war, 
being  made  brigadier-general  by  brevet  by  President  Lincoln  on 
January  6,  180.5,  "for  gallant  and  meritorious  services." 

Upon  returning  home  from  the  army  he  decided  to  renu)\e  to 
Princeton,  the  county  seat  of  Bureau  County,  believing  that  town 
offered  a  better  opportunity  for  the  practice  of  his  profession.  There 
he  formed  a  partnershii^  with  Joseph  L.  Taylor,  under  the  firm  name 
of  Taylor  &  Henderson,  which  lasted  until  1871,  when  General  Hen- 
derson Avas  appointed  collector  of  internal  revenue.  He  afterward 
served  in  Congress  and  one  who  knew  him  well  describes  him  as  "a 
brave  and  generous  man,  a  patriotic  citizen,  a  good  soldier,  an  upright 
politician,  and  a  pleasant  and  impressive  speaker."  One  of  his  last 
visits  to  Stark  County  was  on  the  occasion  of  the  dedication  of  the 
soldiers'  monument  at  Toulon,  June  12,  1902,  when  he  delivered  the 
princi])al  address. 

Harvey  J.  Rhodes,  a  jiioneer  justice  of  the  peace  in  Stark  County, 
began  the  practice  of  law  in  18.51.  and  Charles  C.  ^Vilson.  the  first 
supervisor  elected  from  Valley,  connnenced  practice  in  18.57.     The 


HISTOKV  OF  STARK  COUNTY  231 

former  died  many  years  ago  and  the  latter  removed  to  Priiieeton, 
from  there  to  Kewanee,  where  he  continued  in  practice  until  a  short 
time  before  his  death. 

Aaron  Tyler,  Sr.,  appeared  in  the  Stark  Circuit  Court  in  a  number 
of  cases  in  184().  His  son,  Aaron  Tyler,  Jr.,  studied  law  under  Judge 
Onslow  Peters  and  located  in  Toulon.  In  18.50  he  was  elected  state's 
attorney.  At  the  close  of  his  term  he  removed  to  St.  Louis  and  from 
there  to  Knoxville,  Illinois,  where  he  was  aijpointed  circuit  judge. 
He  died  in  the  City  of  Chicago  some  years  later. 

William  ^V.  Wright,  who  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  ^Mount 
Vernon,  111.,  in  Xovembei-,  18()(),  came  to  Toulon  shortly  afterward 
and  won  distinction  as  a  lawyer.  He  was  born  in  Fulton  County, 
Illinois,  September  10,  1842,  and  passed  his  early  years  upon  a  farm 
in  Goshen  Townshij),  Stark  County.  During  the  latter  part  of  the 
war  he  served  in  the  One  Hundred  and  Thirty-ninth  Illinois  Infantry. 
In  1873  he  was  elected  county  judge  and  sei'ved  for  about  thirteen 
years,  and  in  18!)0  he  was  again  elected  to  the  office  and  served  for 
twelve  years  more.    He  was  also  master  in  chancery  for  one  term. 

James  H.  JMiller,  who  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  the  spring  of 
1869,  was  born  in  \Vyandotte  County,  Ohio,  xVugust  29,  184.3.  His 
parents  came  to  Illinois  in  18.51,  first  settling  in  ^Vinnebago  County, 
but  in  18()1  they  removed  to  Stark  County  and  located  in  West  Jersey 
Townshij).  In  the  fall  of  18(12  young  INIiller  was  commissioned  to 
recruit  a  company  for  the  Fourteenth  Illinois  Cavalry.  While  engaged 
in  this  work  he  met  with  an  injury  to  his  hip  which  prevented  him  from 
entering  the  military  service  and  kept  him  on  crutches  for  several 
years.  During  this  time  he  studied  law  and  in  1809  opened  his  office 
in  Toulon.  In  1872  he  was  elected  state's  attorney  and  held  the  office 
for  four  years,  having  previously  served  as  justice  of  the  peace.  For 
several  terms  he  was  counsel  for  the  Village  of  Toulon  and  from  1884 
to  1890  was  a  member  of  the  lower  branch  of  the  Illinois  Legislature. 
In  connection  with  Judge  Thompson,  he  was  one  of  the  jjrojectors  of 
the  Toulon  Public  Library  early  in  1891,  l)ut  died  before  he  could 
enjoy  the  fruit  of  his  labors. 

Bradford  F.  Thompson  was  of  good  old  New  England  stock,  liis 
parents,  Benjamin  M.  and  Ann  (^IcLaughlin)  Thompson,  coming  to 
Stark  County  from  Elaine  in  18.50.  He  received  a  good  education, 
studied  law,  and  his  name  first  appears  upon  the  docket  of  the  Stark 
Circuit  Court  in  1878.  In  that  year  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
Toulon  village  board  and  two  years  later  was  made  village  attorney. 
He  was  elected  state's  attornev  in  1870  and  re-elected  four  vears  later. 


232  HISTORY  OF  STAKK  COUNTY 

and  in  1888  he  was  again  elected  for  one  term.  On  January  29,  1891, 
he  appeared  before  tlie  vilhif^e  board  with  a  petition  to  estabhsli  a  public 
library;  was  the  first  president  of  the  library  board,  and  maintained 
his  interest  in  the  institution  as  long  as  he  lived.  In  1902  he  was 
elected  county  judge  and  held  the  office  by  repeated  re-elections  until 
his  death  in  1912.  For  several  terms  Judge  Thompson  presided  over 
Toidoii  Masonic  Lodge  as  worshipful  master,  and  he  was  a  member 
of  ^V.  W.  AYright  Post,  Xo.  327,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic, 
having  served  as  a  sergeant  in  Company  B,  One  Hundred  and  Twelfth 
Illinois  Infantry. 

Frank  X.  Prout,  a  native  of  X^^ewark,  X".  J.,  came  to  the 
County  of  Stark  in  his  boyhood  with  his  parents,  X'elson  and  Jane 
(Davis)  Prout.  He  studied  law  under  James  H.  INIiller  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  Stark  County,  but  soon  afterward  removed  to 
Blue  Spring,  X^eb.,  where  he  rose  to  prominence  in  his  profession 
and  was  elected  attorney-general  of  the  state. 

It  would  be  impossible  to  give  detailed  sketches  of  every  attorney 
who  has  ever  practiced  in  the  county,  but  in  addition  to  those  above 
mentioned  may  be  added  the  names  of  Benjamin  F.  Williams,  who 
jjracticed  in  Toulon  about  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  war  and  was 
captain  of  Company  G,  One  Hundred  and  Sixth  Illinois  Infantry; 
Tillottson  &  Guiteau,  Avho  began  practice  here  in  1874,  the  former 
staying  in  the  office  at  Bradford  and  the  latter  at  Toulon;  W.  W. 
Hammond,  a  son  of  A.  G.  Hammond,  of  Wyoming,  who  after  his 
admission  to  the  bar  located  in  Peoria;  Harry  Pierce,  who  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  ^Nlay,  1883;  H.  L.  and  A.  P.  :Miller,  the  former 
one  of  the  early  lawyers  and  the  latter  admitted  in  1879;  Frank  A. 
Kerns,  a  native  of  the  county,  admitted  in  1888  and  practiced  here 
for  several  years,  then  went  to  Chicago  and  later  to  Philadelphift. 
and  D.  C.  Young,  who  practiced  in  Toulon  for  a  few  years  inmie- 
diately  after  the  Civil  war. 

Xo  history  of  the  bench  and  bar  of  Stark  County  Avoidd  l)e  com- 
plete without  some  mention  of  Miles  A.  Fuller,  who  was  one  of  the 
best  known  lawyers  and  citizens  of  the  county  for  many  years.  Mr. 
Fidler  was  born  in  Luzerne  County,  Pennsylvania.  April  2.5,  1822.  j 
"^Yhen  he  was  about  twelve  years  of  age  his  parents  came  to  Stark 
County  and  settled  in  what  is  now  Penn  Township.  When  Allies 
grew  to  manhood  he  became  associated  with  his  brother  in  the  milling 
business,  building  the  "Modena  ^Slills."  He  was  elected  county  clerk 
in  18.)3  and  Iield  the  office  for  thirteen  years,  during  which  time  he 
I'ead  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  18()2.  just  before  the  expira- 


HISTOKY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  233 

tioii  of  his  last  term  as  clerk.  For  a  few  years  he  did  not  practice 
regularly,  but  after  1869  devoted  his  time  to  his  profession.  That 
year  he  was  elected  a  delegate  to  the  constitutional  convention,  and  in 
1870  was  elected  to  the  lower  branch  of  the  Legislature  as  the  repre- 
sentative from  Stark  County.  During  the  war  ^Slr.  Fuller  was 
appointed  a  special  commissioner  from  Stark  to  go  to  Springfield  to 
iiKluire  into  the  military  credits  in  connection  with  the  county's  qviota 
of  volunteers.  He  served  several  terms  as  attorney  for  the  Village  of 
Toulon,  was  granted  a  franchise  and  built  the  electric  light  plant,  and 
in  other  ways  gave  evidence  of  his  enterprise  and  public  spirit.  In 
191,5  the  Old  Settlers'  Association  honored  IMr.  Fuller's  memory  by 
placing  his  portrait  upon  the  badge  worn  at  the  annual  picnic.  His 
son,  'N^ictor  G.  Fuller,  was  also  a  popular  attorney.  For  a  number  of 
years  he  was  city  attorney  of  Toulon,  holding  the  office  at  the  time 
of  his  death  in  December,  1913. 

THE  BAR  OF  191.5 

From  the  bar  docket  of  the  Stark  Circuit  Coiu-t  for  the  June 
term,  1915,  the  following  list  of  court  officers  and  attorneys  is  taken: 
Judges,  T.  X.  Green,  John  INI.  Niehaus  and  N.  E.  Worthington  (the 
last  named  since  succeeded  by  Clyde  E.  Stone)  :  state's  attorney, 
John  W.  Fling,  Jr.;  master  in  chancery,  JNI.  L.  Hay;  clerk,  Walter  F. 
Young;  sheriff,  James  K.  Fuller. 

Attorneys — Frank  Thomas  (comity  judge),  J.  H.  Rennick, 
W.  ^V.  ^^'right,  Jr.,  M.  L.  Hay  and  T.  W.  Hoopes,  Toulon;  John  ^V. 
Fling,  Jr.  (state's  attorney) .  'Wyoming:  LesHe  N.  Cullom.  Bradford. 

CRnilXAI.  CASES 

By  far  the  greater  ])art  of  the  court  business  in  Stark  County  has 
been  in  connection  with  civil  cases.  A  number  of  such  cases  have 
been  carried  to  the  Supreme  Court  and  argued  before  that  tribunal 
by  members  of  the  Stark  County  Bar.  In  cases  of  this  character  the 
Stark  County  attorney  has  demonstrated  his  knowledge  of  the  la\v 
and  his  ability  to  liold  his  own.  l)ut  the  county  has  never  produced  a 
lawver  who  has  distinguished  himself  as  a  si^ecialist  in  criminal  cases. 
The  reason  is  plain.  The  pioneers  of  Stark  County  were  not  of  the 
criminal  class.  A  diligent  search  of  the  court  records  reveals  but  very 
few  occasions  where  the  professional  criminal  lawyer  would  find  an 
opportunity  for  the  display  of  his  peculiar  talents. 


234  HlSTOllY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

There  has  never  been  a  legal  exeeution  in  the  county,  and  but  one 
man  received  a  sentence  of  life  imprisonment.  On  December  1.  1881, 
Peter  lluber,  of  West  Jersey  Township,  was  killed  by  Andrew  J. 
Church.  A  coroner's  jury  brought  in  a  verdict  that  Huber  met  his 
death  by  a  knife  wound  inflicted  by  the  said  Church,  death  occurring 
within  a  few  minutes  after  the  stabbing  was  done.  Chmx'h  tried  to 
make  his  escape,  but  was  overtaken  l)y  William  II.  Bell  and  Robert 
H.  Thompson  and  confined  in  the  jail  at  Toulon.  At  the  April  term 
in  1882  he  was  arraigned  for  trial.  State's  Attorney  Thompson  was 
assisted  in  the  prosecution  by  James  H.  JNIiller  and  the  defense  was 
represented  by  J.  E.  Decker  and  A.  P.  Miller.  The  evidence  brought 
out  the  fact  that  Church  was  a  man  of  rather  unsavory  reputation. 
The  jury  brought  in  a  verdict  of  guilty  and  he  was  sentenced  to  "hard 
labor  for  life." 

While  retin-ning  to  his  home  from  the  postoftice  in  Lafayette  on 
the  evening  of  October  Vi,  18(i7,  Joseph  H.  Wilbur  was  assaulted  and 
killed  by  David  Anschutz.  The  assailant  was  soon  afterward  arrested 
and  was  tried  in  November,  1868.  ^lartin  Shallenberger  conducted 
the  prosecution  and  John  H.  Howe,  of  Kewanee,  appeared  for  the 
defense.  A  verdict  of  guilty  was  returned  by  the  jury  and  Anschutz 
was  sentenced  to  twenty-one  years  in  the  state's  prison.  These  are 
the  two  most  noted  criminal  cases  that  have  ever  occurred  in  the  court 
annals  of  Stark  County. 

A  STRAY  INCIDENT 

While  the  judge  of  early  years  was  generally  capable  and  con- 
scientious in  the  performance  of  his  duties,  he  was  not  always  marked 
by  that  "judicial  dignity"  that  in  later  years  has  l)ecome  a  distinguish- 
ing characteristic  of  the  court  official.  Judj^^homas  Ford,  the  first 
judge  to  hold  court  in  Stark  County,  used  to  have  a  fund  of  anecdotes 
relating  to  tile  methods  in  vogiTeTn  the  pioneer  courts  of  Illinois.  One 
of  these  stories  of  the  humors  and  eccentricities  of  judges  not  thor- 
oughly versed  in  the  law,  nor  in  the  fundamental  principles  of  English 
grammar,  was  of  the  manner  in  which  the  sentence  of  death  was 
jM-onounced  upon  a  prisoner.  As  told  by  Judge  Ford  the  judge  called 
the  prisoner  before  him  and  said: 

"]\Ir.  Green,  the  jury  in  their  verdict  say  you  are  guilty  of  murder, 
and  the  law  says  you  must  be  hung.  Now,  I  want  you  and  your 
friends  to  know  that  it  is  not  I  who  condemns  you,  but  it  is  the  jury 
and  the  law.  The  law  allows  you  time  for  preparation,  so  the  com-t 
wants  to  know  what  time  you  would  like  to  he  hung." 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  235 

To  this  the  prisoner  resi)oiule(l  tliat  he  was  ready  at  any  time,  as 
he  had  his  preparations  all  made,  after  whieh  the  judge  eontinued: 

"Mr.  Green,  do  you  realize  that  it  is  a  serious  matter  to  he  huni>'? 

It  is  a  thing  that  ean't  happen  hut  onee  in  a  man's  life,  so  you  had 

better  take  all  the  time  you  can  get.     1  shall  give  you  mitil  this  day 

four  weeks — Mr.  Clerk,  look  and  see  if  this  day  four  weeks  falls  on 

unday. 

The  clerk  looked  at  the  calendar — or  pretended  to — and  replied, 
that  the  day  fell  on  Thursday,  whereupon  the  judge  completed  his 
sentence  as  follows: 

"Very  well,  then,  ]Mr.  Green,  you  will  be  hung  this  day  four  weeks, 
in  accordance  with  the  law  and  the  verdict  rendered  by  the  jury." 

James  Turney,  then  attorney-general  of  Illinois,  was  present  and 
requested  permission  to  say  a  few  words.  Permission  being  granted 
he  addressed  the  court  in  this  manner:  "INlay  it  please  the  court,  on 
solemn  occasions  like  the  present,  when  the  life  of  a  fellow  human 
being  is  to  be  sentenced  awav  b\'  an  earthly  tribunal  for  crime,  it  is 
usual  and  proper  for  the  coin-t  to  pronounce  a  formal  sentence,  in 
which  the  leading  features  of  the  crime  shall  be  brought  to  the  recol- 
lection of  the  prisoner,  a  sense  of  his  guilt  impressed  upon  his 
conscience,  and  in  which  the  prisoner  should  be  duly  exhorted  to 
repentance  and  waiued  against  the  judgment  in  the  world  to  come." 

The  presiding  judge  listened  attentively  to  INIr.  Turney's  remarks 
and  when  the  attorney-general  had  concluded  replied:  "Why,  Mr. 
Turney,  Mr.  Green  understands  tlie  whole  business  just  as  well  as  if 
I  had  preached  to  him  for  a  whole  month.  He  knows  he's  got  to  be 
hung  in  four  weeks,  don't  you,  Mr.  Green?" 

The  prisoner  answei-ed  in  the  aftii'inative  and  the  court  added: 
"^Vell,  then,  the  business  before  the  court  is  settled  and  the  court  now 
stands  adjourned." 


CHAPTER  XIV 
THE  MEDICAL  PROFESSIOX 

:medicixe  ax  old  professiox — hoiie-made  ke:\iedies — .character  of 

THE    PIOXEER   DOCTOR HIS   METHODS   OF   TREAT:MEXT HARDSHIPS 

OF  FRONTIER  PRACTICE STANDIXG  OF  THE  DOCTOR  AS  A  CITIZEN 

STARK  COUXTY  DOCTORS BRIEF  SKETCHES  OF  OLD-TIME  PHYSICIANS 

STARK    COUNTY    MEDIC.VL    SOCIETY' REGISTERED    PHYSICIANS    IX 

1915. 

Efforts  to  ameliorate  pain,  relieve  suffering,  heal  the  sick  and 
eradicate  disease  are  as  old  as  the  human  race.  When  the  first  man 
was  afflicted  by  some  malady  he  sought  among  the  vegetables  for  some 
remedy  that  would  cure  his  ailment.  If  a  remedy  was  found  the  plant 
was  remembered  and  perhaps  garnered  for  future  use.  Among  the 
ancient  physicians  the  names  of^Esculapius,  Galen  and  Hippocrates 
stand  out  pre-eminent,  the  last  named  having  been  called  the  "Father 
of  JNIedicine."  Yet  the  growth  of  medical  science  and  the  healing  art 
has  had  a  slow  and  gradual  development,  the  doctor  often  having  to 
undergo  the  sneers  and  ridicule  of  the  people,  who  mistrusted  his 
methods  and  questioned  his  ability.  Even  as  late  as  the  earlj"^  years 
of  the  nineteenth  centmy  Voltaire  defined  a  physician  as  "A  man 
who  crams  drugs  of  Mhich  he  knows  little  into  a  body  of  which  he 
knows  less."  That  may  have  been  true  of  a  certain  class  of  French 
empirics  at  the  time  it  was  written,  but  since  Voltaire's  day  the  profes- 
.sion  has  made  almost  marvelous  strides  forward,  and  the  physician  of 
the  present  day  is  generally  a  man  entitled  to  honor  and  respect,  both 
for  his  professional  knowledge  and  his  place  in  the  community  as 
a  citizen. 

In  the  early  settlement  of  Illinois  almost  every  family  kept  on 
hand  a  stock  of  roots  and  herbs,  and  common  ailments  were  treated 
l)y  the  administration  of  "home-made"  remedies,  without  the  aid  of  a 
doctor.  Old  settlers  can  no  doubt  remember  the  time  when  boneset 
tea.  the  burdock  bitters,  the  decoctions  of  wild  cherry  bark,  or  sarsa- 
parilla  root  were  common:  or  they  may  remember  how  "Grandma"  oi- 

236 


HISTORY  OF  STAKK  C'OUNTV  237 

■Aunt  Jane"  would  make  a  poultiee  or  plaster  for  some  external 
injury  and  apply  it  with  more  solemnity  than  is  now  displayed  hy  a 
skillful  surgeon  when  he  euts  open  a  man  and  robs  him  of  his  appen- 
dix. Still,  these  "home-made"  remedies  were  not  without  some  merit, 
and  many  a  time  they  have  been  given  with  good  effect,  when  the 
nearest  physician  was  perhaps  miles  away. 

Such  was  the  condition  when  the  pioneer  doctor  made  his  apjiear- 
ance  in  the  frontier  settlement,  and  probably  no  addition  to  the 
population  was  ever  received  with  warmer  welcome.  The  life  of  the 
frontier  physician  was  no  sinecure,  however,  and  about  the  only  in- 
ducement for  him  to  cast  his  lot  in  a  new  country  was  "to  get  in  on  the 
ground  tioor"  and  establish  himself  in  practice  before  a  competitor 
arrived  in  the  field.  The  old-time  doctor  was  not  always  a  graduate 
of  a  medical  college.  In  fact,  a  majority  of  them  had  obtained  their 
])rofessional  education  by  "reading"  for  a  few  months  with  some 
older  physician  and  assisting  their  preceptors  in  their  practice.  When 
the  young  student  thought  he  knew  enough  to  begin  practice  on  his 
own  responsibility,  he  began  to  look  about  for  a  location.  Then  it  was 
that  the  new  settlement  seemed  to  him  to  present  the  best  opening 
and  he  became  a  citizen  of  some  community  where  the  oldest  resident 
had  been  established  but  a  few  months,  and  where  he  could  hear  the 
howling  of  the  wolf  from  his  office  door  or  upon  his  long  night  rides 
to  visit  some  patient.  Of  course,  there  were  exceptions  to  this  rule, 
for  sometimes  a  ])hysiciau  well  established  in  practice  would  be  caught 
by  the  "wanderlust"  and  decide  to  try  his  fortunes  in  some  young  and 


growing  comnmmty. 


If  the  professional  or  technical  knowledge  of  the  pioneer  doctor 
was  limited,  his  .stock  of  drugs  and  medicines  was  ecjually  limited. 
Duncan,  in  his  "Early  Reminiscences  of  the  ^ledical  Profession," 
says  the  first  thing  necessary  was  a  liberal  supply  of  English  calomel. 
Added  to  this  were  some  jalap,  aloes,  Dover's  powder,  ipecac,  castor 
oil  and  Peruvian  bark  (sulphate  of  quinine  was  too  rare  and  expensive 
for  general  use),  and  j)robably  a  few  other  well  known  drugs.  In 
cases  of  fever  it  was  considered  the  ])roper  thing  to  relieve  the  ])atient 
of  a  considerable  (juantity  of  blood,  hence  every  physician  carried  one 
or  moie  lancets.  And  every  one  knew  the  formula  for  making  "Cook's 
])ills."  If  a  drastic  cathartic,  supplemented  by  letting  of  blood,  and 
])er]ia])s  a  "fly  blister"  over  the  scat  of  the  pain  did  not  improve  the 
condition  of  the  patient,  the  doctor  would  "look  wise  and  trust  to  a 
rugged  constitution  to  ])ull  the  sick  person  through." 

Rut,  greatly  to  the  credit  of  these  pioneer  physicians,  it  can  lie 


238  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

truthfully  said  that  they  were  just  as  conscientious  in  their  work  and 
jilaced  as  much  faith  in  the  remedies  they  administered  as  the  most 
celebrated  specialist  of  the  present  <4eneration.  It  can  be  said  further 
that  a  majority  of  them,  as  the  popidation  of  the  new  settlement 
grew  and  tlie  demands  for  their  professional  services  increased,  were 
not  content  to  remain  in  the  mediocre  class.  They  therefore  attended 
some  established  medical  school  and  received  the  coveted  degree  of 
M.  D.,  even  after  they  had  been  engaged  in  practice  for  years. 

AVhen  the  tirst  physicians  commenced  practice  in  Stark  County 
they  did  not  visit  their  patients  in  automobiles.  Even  if  the  automo- 
bile had  been  invented  the  condition  of  the  roads — where  there  were 
any  roads  at  all — was  such  that  the  vehicle  would  have  been  practically 
useless.  His  rounds  of  visits  were  therefore  made  on  horseback.  As 
his  practice  extended  over  a  large  expanse  of  country  he  frequently 
carried  a  lantern  with  him  at  night  to  enable  him  to  find  the  "blazed 
trail"  in  case  he  lost  his  way.  If  he  did  not  remain  with  the  patient 
on  such  occasions  imtil  daylight,  on  his  way  home  he  would  di'o])  the 
reins  upon  the  horse's  neck  and  trust  to  the  animal's  instinct  to  tind 
the  way  home. 

There  Mere  then  no  drug  stores  to  fill  prescriptions,  so  the  doctor 
carried  his  medicines  with  him  in  a  pair  of  "pill-bags."  This  was  a 
contrivance  composed  of  two  leathern  boxes,  each  divided  into  compart- 
ments for  vials  of  various  sizes,  and  connected  by  a  broad  strap  that 
could  be  thrown  across  the  rear  of  the  saddle.  INIoney  was  a  scarce 
article  and  his  fees — if  he  collected  any  at  all — were  paid  in  such 
])roduce  as  the  pioneer  farmer  could  spare  and  the  doctor  coidd  use. 

Resides  the  lancet,  his  principal  surgical  instrument  was  the  "turn- 
key" for  extracting  teeth,  for  the  old-time  doctor  was  dentist  as  well 
as  physician.  A  story  is  told  of  a  man  who  went  into  a  barber  shoj^ 
for  a  shave  and  complained  to  the  negro  barl)er  that  the  razor  ])idled. 
to  which  the  colored  man  replied:  "Yes.  sah:  but  if  de  razor  handle 
doesn't  break,  de  beard  am  bound  to  come  off."  So  it  was  when  the 
frontier  doctor  was  called  upon  to  act  as  dentist.  Once  he  got  that 
turnkey  firndy  fastened  upon  an  aching  tooth,  if  the  instrument  did 
not  lireak  the  tooth  was  bound  to  come  out. 

^Vnd  yet  these  old-time  doctors,  crude  as  many  of  their  methods 
now  seem,  were  the  forerunners  of  and  paved  the  way  for  the  special- 
ists of  this  Twentieth  Century.  They  were  not  selfish  and  if  one  of 
them  discovered  a  new  remedy  or  developed  a  new  way  of  administer- 
ing an  old  one  he  was  always  ready  and  willing  to  im])art  his  informa- 
tion to  his  professional  brethren.    If  one  of  these  old  physicians  could 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  239 

coiiR-  back  to  earth  and  casually  walk  into  the  othce  of  some  leading 
physician,  he  would  no  doubt  stand  aghast  at  the  array  of  scientific 
apparatus,  such  as  microscopes,  stethoscopes,  X-ray  machines,  etc. 
He  would  hardly  be  able  to  realize  that  he  had  played  his  humble  part 
in  bringing  about  this  march  of  medical  progress;  yet  it  is  even  so. 

The  doctor,  over  and  above  his  professional  calling  and  position, 
Mas  generally  a  man  of  prominence  and  influence  in  other  matters. 
His  advice  was  often  sought  in  affairs  entirely  foreign  to  his  business. 
In  his  travels  about  the  settlement  he  came  in  contact  with  all  the 
latest  news  and  gossip,  which  made  him  a  welcome  visitor  in  other 
households,  and  on  the  occasion  of  these  visits  the  best  piece  of  fried 
chicken  or  the  juiciest  piece  of  pie  found  its  way  to  the  doctor's  plate. 
He  Avas  the  one  man  in  the  community  who  subscribed  for  and  read 
a  weekly  newspaper,  and  this  led  his  neighbors  to  follow  his  leadership 
in  matters  political.  Look  back  over  the  history  of  almost  any  county 
in  the  Mississip])i  Yalley  and  the  names  of  ])hysicians  will  appear  as 
members  of  the  Legislature,  incumbents  of  important  county  offices, 
and  in  a  number  of  instances  some  physician  has  been  called  from  his 
practice  to  represent  a  district  in  Congress.  JNIany  a  boy  has  been 
named  for  the  family  jihysician. 

Leeson's. History  of  Stark  County  (page  191)  says:  "The  first 
resident  physician  of  Stark  County  was  Dr.  Eliphalet  EUsw'orth,  who 
l)racticed  here  before  the  Black  Hawk  war,  and  made  a  permanent 
settlement  here  in  183-4."  His  name  does  not  appear  in  the  list  of 
settlers  for  that  year,  as  compiled  by  the  Old  Settlers'  Association 
and  given  in  one  of  the  preceding  chapters  of  this  work.  A  DtJctor 
Pratt  located  in  Elmira  Township  in  1835,  and  two  years  later  Dr. 
Thomas  Hall  came  to  the  same  township. 

Dr.  Thomas  Hall  was  born  in  Derl)yshire,  England,  ^lay  12.  180.). 
After  attending  schools  at  Hulland,  West-IJnder-Wood,  Rrailsford 
and  Quarndon,  he  began  the  study  of  medicine  under  Doctor  Cole- 
luau.  of  Woh'erhampton,  witli  wiiom  he  spent  an  ai)prenticeship  of 
five  years.  In  1828  he  was  graduated  at  the  Royal  College  of  Sur- 
geons in  London.  Among  the  names  on  his  diploma  are  those  of  Sir 
Astley  Cooper  and  Dr.  John  ^Vbei-nethy,  two  of  the  best  known  phys- 
icians in  England  at  that  time.  On  ]May  14,  1829,  he  married  INIiss 
]\Iatilda  INIanifold,  of  Findern,  Derbyshire,  and  in  1837  came  to  the 
United  States.  He  first  settled  in  what  is  now  Elmira  Township  and 
])racticed  there  until  the  county  seat  of  Stark  County  was  located  at 
Toulon,  when  he  removed  there  and  resumed  his  jirofessional  labors. 
He  brought  with  him  from  his  native  land  a  well  selected  medical 


24U  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

library  and  a  number  of  surgical  instruments  and  appliances  of  the 
most  approved  pattern  known  to  that  period.  ^Vith  this  equipment, 
and  his  ten  years  previous  experience  as  a  phj^sician  in  England,  he 
rose  rapidly  in  the  profession  in  this  country,  becoming  so  well  and  so 
widely  known  that  the  Rush  Medical  College  of  Chicago,  in  February, 
18.50,  conferred  on  him  the  lu)norary  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine. 
The  year  1840  was  one  of  great  sickness  among  the  settlers  of  Stark 
and  adjoining  counties.  Tt  is  related  of  Doctor  Hall  that  during  the 
season  he  rode  for  nine  successive  weeks,  eighty  miles  one  day  and 
fifty-six  the  next,  alternately,  treating  patients  for  typhoid  fever  and 
dysentery,  both  of  which  were  almost  epidemic.  He  used  to  tell  how, 
after  he  had  won  his  diploma  and  was  about  to  leave  home  to  begin 
his  ]:)rofessional  career,  his  mother  followed  him  to  the  gate,  laid  her 
hand  affectionately  on  his  shoulder  and  said:  "Tom,  do  your  duty 
by  all,  but  especially  remember  the  poor."  His  mother's  injunction 
was  never  forgotten  and  he  was  always  ready  to  respond  to  a  call, 
whetlier  there  was  a  prospective  fee  in  it  or  not.  In  his  old  age  he 
was  wont  to  say:  "I  am  not  afraid  to  meet  my  mother,  for  she  knows 
I  have  done  as  she  told  me."  His  death  occiu-red  in  1876.  His  son, 
Dr.  Walter  T.  Hall,  is  still  practicing  in  Toulon,  and  his  daughter 
Eliza,  who  married  jNIartin  Shallenberger,  was  the  author  of  "Stark 
County  and  Its  Pioneers,"  which  was  ])ublished  about  the  time  of  her 
father's  death. 

In  1840  Dr.  William  Chamberlain  came  to  Stark  County  and  soon 
after  his  arrival  formed  a  partnership  with  Dr.  Thomas  Hall.  In 
1846  these  two  physicians  treated  fifteen  hundred  cases  of  fever  and 
ague,  or  other  forms  of  malarial  trouble,  using  in  their  practice  enough 
of  the  extract  of  Peruvian  bark  to  have  made  eighty  ounces  of  the  sul- 
phate of  quinine.  Doctor  Chamberlain  died  at  Toulon  on  November 
2,  1882,  continuing  in  practice  until  a  short  time  before  liis  death. 

Dr.  Hiram  Nance,  who  was  probably  the  first  ])hysician  to  locate 
in  Lafayette,  was  a  successful  practitioner  and  accumulated  a  comfort- 
able competence.  Old  settlers  in  the  northern  part  of  the  county  still 
remember  him  as  an  energetic,  public  spirited  man  and  an  influential 
citizen.  After  practicing  at  Lafayette  for  a  number  of  years  lie 
removed  to  Kewanee,  where  he  built  a  fine  residence  that  was  the 
admiration  of  the  people  for  several  miles  around.  There  he  con- 
tinued in  practice  until  a  short  time  before  his  death.  One  of  his  sons 
was  at  one  time  governor  of  the  State  of  Nebraska.  Another  son  is 
now  (im.'})  an  alderman  in  the  City  of  Chicago,  and  a  third  son  is 
living  at  Galesburg,  111. 


HISTOKV  OF  STARK  COUXTV  241 

Dr.  J.  H.  Nichols,  another  early  physician  in  Lafayette,  came  to 
Stark  County  in  1840.  He  was  born  in  New  Jersey  on  December  18, 
1818,  though  he  did  not  begin  the  practice  of  medicine  until  after  he 
graduated  at  the  Ohio  ^Medical  College  in  1844.  Like  all  pioneer 
doctors,  he  made  his  visits  on  horseback  and  built  up  a  lucrative  prac- 
tice as  the  population  grew  in  numbers.  During  the  Gariield-xVrthur 
administration  from  1881  to  188.5  he  served  as  an  internal  revenue 
officer  at  Peoria.  He  was  a  charter  member  of  the  JNIasonic  lodge  at 
Lafayette  and  was  active  in  jjromoting  the  welfare  of  that  village. 

Dr.  Alfred  Castle,  who  located  at  Wyoming  in  1843,  was  l)oi-n  at 
Sullivan,  :Madison  County,  X.  Y.,  September  22,  18UG.  His  an- 
cestors came  from  Ireland  during  the  colonial  days  and  his  father  was 
a  cousin  of  Col.  Ethan  Allen,  who  demanded  the  surrender  of  Ticon- 
deroga  "In  the  name  of  the  Great  Jehovah  and  the  Continental  Con- 
gress."  Doctor  Castle  received  a  good  literary  education  and  began 
the  practice  of  medicine  in  1832  at  Brockport,  N.  Y.  Two  years 
later  he  received  the  degree  of  M.  D.  from  the  Berkshire  School  of 
Medicine  and  in  1836  came  to  Illinois.  For  four  or  five  j^ears  he  was 
located  at  Peoria,  after  which  he  went  to  Vermont,  but  in  1842 
returned  to  Illinois  and  the  next  year  established  himself  at  \\'yoniing. 
He  Avas  a  successful  physician  and  was  active  in  other  business  enter- 
prises, laying  out  two  additions  to  the  Town  of  Wyoming  and  doing 
all  he  could  to  encourage  the  building  of  the  Buda  &  Rushville  (now 
the  Chicago.  Burlington  ^:  Quiney)  Railroad,  of  which  his  son  xVlfred 
was  president.  He  donated  the  lot  for  the  Catholic  Church  in  Wyom- 
ing and  is  remembered  by  old  residents  as  a  public  spirited  citizen  as 
well  as  a  good  physician. 

In  1849  Dr.  Edwin  R.  Boardman  received  the  degree  of  M.  D. 
from  the  Indiana  ^Medical  School,  at  Laporte,  Ind.,  and  soon  after- 
Avard  began  practice  in  Elmira  Township.  He  was  born  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, March  3,  1829.  came  with  his  parents  to  Illinois  when  he  was 
about  eleven  years  of  age  and  settled  near  Pawpaw,  in  Lee  County. 
His  son.  Edwin  O.  Boardman,  also  studied  medicine,  graduated  at 
Rush  Medical  College,  Chicago,  in  1878  and  began  practice  with  his 
father,  but  soon  afterward  removed  to  Osceola.  James  G.  Boardman, 
another  member  of  the  family,  also  practiced  medicine  some  time  at 
Bradford. 

Dr.  Theodore  Bacmeister,  for  many  years  a  j)racticing  ]ihysician 
of  Toulon,  was  born  in  the  city  of  Esslingen,  Wittenberg,  Germany, 
January  19,  1830.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  years  he  came  to  the 
United  States.     Here  he  studied  medicine,  selecting  the  homeopathic 


242  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

school,  and  lie  was  one  of  the  first  doctors  to  practice  according  to 
that  system  in  Stark  County.  Doctor  Bacmeister  served  as  president 
of  the  village  board  of  Toulon,  before  the  city  government  was  inaugu- 
rated. He  was  active  in  organizing  the  public  library  and  was  the 
first  secretary  of  the  library  board.  His  death  occurred  on  JNIarch  8, 
1911.    His  son  Otto  is  now  postmaster  at  Toulon. 

Among  the  first  A\()men  to  practice  medicine  in  the  county  were 
Dr.  Henrietta  K.  JNIorris  and  I3r.  Annie  L.  Green,  both  of  whom 
were  located  at  Bradford.  The  former  was  elected  vice  president  of 
the  Illinois  State  Eclectic  JNIedical  Association  in  1886.  and  the  latter 
i-emoved  to  Princeton  about  ten  years  prior  to  that  date.  Other  early 
physicians  of  Bradford  were:  O.  C.  Darling,  S.  A.  Davison,  S.  T.  C. 
\N'^ashburn,  and  Doctors  Young  and  Lamper. 

Dr.  Daniel  Tyrrell  located  at  Duncan  at  an  early  date  and  ])rac- 
ticed  for  several  years  before  he  retired.  Another  early  physician  in 
that  i^art  of  the  county  was  Dr.  Azra  Lee,  \\  ho  served  as  an  army  sui-- 
geon  in  the  War  of  1812.  He  died  at  Duncan  in  August.  1870.  Dr.  J. 
S.  Farrell  and  a  Doctor  Thomas  likewise  practiced  at  Duncan  in  the 
years  gone  by. 

Augustus  A.  Dunn,  the  first  sheriff  of  Stark  County,  Avas  a  native 
of  the  State  of  Georgia,  where  his  father  died.  In  1831  liis  widowed 
mother  j-emoved  to  Ohio  and  about  five  years  later  came  to  Stark 
County,  entering  a  jMcce  of  land  in  what  is  now  West  Jersey  Town- 
shi]).  After  serving  as  sheriff,  JNIr.  Dunn  studied  medicine,  graduated, 
and  practiced  at  Cambridge,  Henry  County,  until  1802.  when  he 
enlisted  in  Com])any  D.  One  Hundred  and  Twelfth  Illinois  Infantry. 
He  lost  his  left  hand  in  the  engagement  at  Kelly's  Ford,  Tennessee, 
and  was  again  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Franklin,  after  which  he  was 
honorably  discharged  and  located  in  Chicago.  There  his  death  occurred 
on  March  2.  1869,  as  a  result  of  the  wound  received  at  Franklin, 
Tenn.  Although  he  never  practiced  medicine  in  Stark  County,  he 
is  here  mentioned  because  of  his  early  connection  with  the  county's 
political  history. 

JMention  has  been  made  of  Dr.  Hiram  Nance  and  Dr.  J.  H. 
Nichols,  who  were  among  the  early  physicians  of  Lafayette.  Dr. 
R.  O.  Phillips  also  practiced  in  that  town  for  several  years  before  he 
removed  to  California,  and  Loyal  T.  Sprague  was  engaged  in  ])rac- 
tice  at  Lafayette  Avhile  Doctor  Nichols  \Aas  located  there.  Dr.  John 
R.  Crawford  was  another  I^afayette  i)hysician  along  in  the  '80s. 

^Among  the  physicians  of  the  past  in  Wyoming  were  Dr.  Thomas 
blotter,  who  was  found  dead  in  his  office  in  Januarv,  188.) ;  Dr.  J.  G. 


HISTOKV  OF  STAKK  COUNTY  243 

Greene,  who  died  in  1879  after  a  residence  of  several  years;  Dr.  ^V. 
Swen,  who  removed  to  Kansas  in  1880;  J.  C.  Copestake,  a  native  of 
England,  assistant  surgeon  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Fourteenth 
Illinois  Infantry ;  Harvey  N.  Fox  and  D.  W.  Magee.  The  last  named 
was  horn  in  3Iifflin  County,  Pemisylvania,  in  June,  18"2.),  a  grandson 
of  Charles  Magee,  who  came  from  Belfast,  Ireland,  with  his  brother 
Thomas,  and  both  served  in  the  colonial  army  during  the  Revolu- 
tionary war.  Dr.  D.  W.  Magee  followed  various  occupations  initil 
tlie  beginning  of  the  Civil  war.  He  was  then  a  partner  in  the  mercan- 
tile firm  of  J.  T.  Robinson  &  Comi)any.  of  Peoria,  111.  In  the 
fall  of  1802  he  raised  Company  II,  Kighty-sixth  Illinois  Infantry, 
and  was  mustered  in  as  lieutenant-colonel.  In  18(5.5  he  was  commis- 
sioned colonel  of  the  Fortj'-seventh  Illinois  Veteran  Infantry  and  was 
mustered  out  with  that  regiment.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  was 
brevetted  brigadier-general  "for  distinguished  services"  and  assigned 
to  the  command  of  the  District  of  Alabama,  with  head(iuarters  at 
]Montgomery.  After  being  nmstered  out  he  took  up  the  study  of 
medicine,  attended  Rush  ^ledieal  College,  Chicago,  and  in  1879  began 
])ractice  in  ^Vyoming. 

A  list  of  Toulon  doctors  of  former  years  would  include  Dr.  S.  S. 
Kaysbier,  Mho  was  at  one  time  editor  and  ])ul)lisher  of  the  Stark 
County  News,  afterward  removing  to  Kansas;  Dr.  Clark  Demuth, 
who  came  from  Plymouth,  Mich.,  and  ])raeticed  in  Toulon  along 
in  the  '70s  and  early  '80s;  Doctor  Swazey,  who  organized  the  first 
baseball  club  in  Stark  County;  Doctor  Curtiss,  who  removed  to  Cleve- 
land, Ohio,  and  died  there  in  June,  1888;  Dr.  A.  W.  Peterson,  who 
came  from  Germany;  Doctor  Kinkade  and  a  Doctor  (xarfield,  who 
|)racticed  in  the  county  scat  from  1844  to  1848,  when  he  removed  to 
La  Salle,  111.  Dr.  Henry  .AI.  Hall,  a  son  of  Dr.  Thomas  Hall, 
also  practiced  for  some  time  in  Toulon.    He  later  located  in  Kansas. 

Other  early  physicians  who  deserve  mention  were  Drs.  W.  ^V. 
Chiyl)augh.  W.  S.  McClenahan  and  Hedges,  of  West  Jersey:  liUther 
S.  ^lillikin,  of  Wyoming,  who  served  as  surgeon  of  the  One  Hundred 
and  Twelfth  Illinois  Infantry.  Doctor  Dunn,  a  brother  of  Rev.  R.  C. 
Dunn,  who  died  in  Chicago  in  the  spring  of  1809:  Dr.  Charles  F. 
Jordan.  mIio  was  principal  of  the  Castleton  public  schools  and  after- 
ward began  practice  in  Nebraska:  Dr.  S.  T.  W.  Potter,  of  AVady 
Petra,  Drs.  J.  Fieldhouse  and  John  li.  ]McDee,  of  Cam])  (irove:  and 
Doctors  Hampton,  Barnett,  Upshaw,  Kohn,  Shaw  and  Fiin'gh, 
located  at  \ari<)us  ])laces  in  the  county. 


244  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

STAUK  COUNTY  :ME1)IC'AL  SOCIETY 

In  a  county  like  Stark,  where  agriculture  is  the  principal  occupa- 
tion of  the  jjeople  and  there  are  no  large  cities  or  towns,  it  could  hardly 
he  exjjected  that  a  medical  society  of  any  considerable  number  of 
members  would  be  found.  But  from  the  earliest  history  of  the  pro- 
fession in  this  part  of  the  state  the  physicians  have  known  the  advan- 
tages to  l)e  derived  from  organization.  ]More  than  half  a  century 
ago,  when  there  were  but  few  resident  physicians  here,  the  doctors  of 
Stark  County  united  with  those  of  adjacent  counties  in  the  fonnation 
of  the  "^lilitary  Tract  ^Medical  Society,"  and  took  a  commendable 
interest  in  its  proceedings.  As  population  increased  several  of  the 
counties  in  the  military  grant  organized  county  societies  and  the  old 
society  gradually  w^ent  down  until,  as  one  old  physician  expressed  it, 
"It  died  a  natural  death  for  want  of  adequate  support." 

The  Stark  County  ^Medical  Society  Avas  organized  on  April  8, 
1902,  in  the  office  of  Dr.  J.  S.  Wead,  in  Wyoming.  Those  present 
were:  A.  M.  Pierce  and  J.  S.  Wead,  of  AVyoming;  ]M.  T.  Ward 
and  W.  T.  Hall,  of  Toulon:  J.  G.  Boardman  and  L.  S.  Hopkins,  of 
Bradford,  and  A.  L.  Johnson,  of  Castleton. 

Dr.  A.  JNI.  Pierce  was  made  temporary  chairman,  and  Dr.  j\I.  T. 
AVard,  temj^orary  secretary.  A  constitution  and  by-laws  were 
adopted,  after  which  the  following  officers  were  elected:  Dr.  A.  ]M. 
Pierce,  president;  Dr.  L.  S.  Hopkins,  vice  president;  Dr.  31.  T.  Ward, 
secretary  and  treasurer;  Drs.  J.  S.  Wead,  J.  G.  Boardman  and  A.  L. 
Johnson,  censors.  Article  2  of  the  constitution  adopted  at  that  time 
declares  the  objects  of  the  society  to  be  "the  promotion  of  friendly 
intercourse  among  tlie  members;  the  advancement  of  medical  knowl- 
edge, and  the  promotion  of  the  material  interests  of  the  profession." 

In  the  original  constitution  it  was  provided  that  the  regvdar  meet- 
ings shoidd  be  held  on  the  second  Tuesday  in  January,  April,  July 
and  October  of  each  year.  This  was  afterward  amended  so  that  the 
regular  meetings  are  held  only  in  April  and  October.  The  .April 
meeting  is  regarded  as  the  annual  meeting,  at  which  time  officers 
shall  be  elected.  At  a  special  meeting  held  on  Jime  1.5.  1903,  Drs. 
J.  R.  Holgate.  L.  F.  Brown.  William  Garrison  and  H.  A.  Wyllys 
were  admitted  to  membership.  The  constitution  further  provides  that 
the  society  shall  be  affiliated  with  the  Illinois  State  jNIedical  Society 
and  the  American  INIedical  Association. 

The  officers  of  the  society  in  191.)  were  as  follows:  Dr.  .Tames  R. 
Holgate,  of  Wyoming,  president:  Dr.  E.  B.  Packer,  of  Toulon,  vice 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  245 

president;  Dr.  Clyde  Berfield,  of  Toulon,  secretary  and  treasurer; 
Drs.  E.  E.  Church,  Clyde  Rerfield  and  J.  S.  W^ead,  censors;  Dr. 
E.  li.  Packer,  delegate  to  the  meeting  of  the  State  JNledical  Associa- 
tion, and  Dr.  J.  S.  \Vead,  alternate.  A  majority  of  the  physicians 
of  the  county  are  members  of  the  county  medical  society. 

KEGISTEHEl)    I'UYSICIAXS 

The  following  list  of  registered  and  regularly  licensed  physicians 
in  Stark  County  is  taken  from  the  report  of  the  Illinois  State  Board 
of  Health  for  the  year  191,3:  Toulon— Clyde  Rertield,  Elmer  E. 
Ciiurch,  \V.  T.  Hall,  L.  L.  Long  and  Elmer  B.  Packer;  ^Vyoming — 
John  Ct.  Hanson,  James  R.  Holgate,  Robert  JNI.  King,  Curtis  C. 
jNIcMackin,  Newton  B.  Morse  (homeopath),  James  S.  Wead  and 
Alma  T.  ^Vead:  Bradford— H.  D.  Boswell,  W.  D.  Chrisman.  ^Vil- 
liam  C.  31itchell,  Ciilman  C.  Shaw  and  Viola  E.  Shaw;  Lafayette — 
George  J.  Brand;  Castleton— Charles  W.  Neill;  Elmira— L.  M. 
Linker;  Osceola — Philij)  F.  Roberts;  Speer — Clauson  M.  Wilmot; 
West  Jersey — William  L.  Garrison. 

\Vhile  Stark  County  has  never  tuiTied  out  a  physician  of  "national 
reputation,"  as  a  rule  her  doctors  have  been  capable  and  conscientious 
])ractitioners.  jNIost  of  them  have  been  graduates  of  recognized  medi- 
cal colleges  and  have  kept  up  with  the  times  by  reading  medical  jour- 
nals and  modern  works  on  various  ])hases  of  their  chosen  profession. 


CHAPTER  XV 
CHURCH  HISTORY 

DIl-l'ICULTIES  IX   WRITING  CHURCH  HISTORY JESUIT  illSSIOXARIES — 

THE  METHODISTS PEORIA  MISSION THE  BAPTISTS THE  PRESBY- 
TERIANS  THE  CONGREGATIONALISTS LATTER  DAY  SAINTS CHRIS- 
TIANS   OR    DISCIPLES THE     UNIVEKSALISTS UNITED     BRETHREN 

THE  CATHOLICS — HISTORIES  OF  THE  VARIOUS  CONGREGATIONS — ■ 
MISCELLANEOUS  RELIGIOUS   ORGANIZATIONS. 

To  write  a  complete  and  correct  history  of  the  cluirch  organiza- 
tions of  a  county  is  perhaps  the  most  difficult  task  that  could  be  as- 
signed to  the  local  historian.  The  founders  of  the  churches  have 
jjassed  away,  the  early  records  have  been  poorly  kept  in  some  instances 
and  in  many  cases  have  been  lost,  pastors  come  and  go.  and  few  people 
can  be  found  who  can  give  any  clear  account  of  the  congregation. 

Long  before  any  effort  was  made  by  white  men  to  found  settle- 
ments in  the  ^Mississippi  Valley,  Jesuit  missionaries  visited  the  region 
with  a  view  to  converting  the  Indians  to  the  Catholic  faith.  Father 
Jaques  Marquette  jjassed  up  the  Illinois  River  as  early  as  1673.  ]Mis- 
sionaries  Allouez,  Dablon  and  Zenobe  Membre  worked  among  the 
Indians  about  the  head  of  Lake  Michigan  and  the  Illinois  Valley 
before  the  close  of  the  seventeenth  century,  and  it  is  possible  that 
some  of  tliem  visited  the  territory  now  included  in  Stark  County. 

THE  METHODISTS 

After  the  white  men  began  to  settle  in  the  Illinois  Valley,  the 
^Methodists  were  the  first  to  organize  classes  in  the  territory.  Jesse 
Walker,  the  first  ^Methodist  preacher  in  Illinois,  appointed  Isaac  B. 
Essex  teacher  to  the  Indians.  Just  where  Essex's  school  was  located 
is  not  certain,  but  it  was  somewhere  near  the  present  City  of  Peoria. 
When  he  settled  in  Stark  County  in  1829  he  was  still  an  earnest  be- 
liever in  the  doctrines  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  as  soon 
as  a  few  neighbors  had  located  around  him  he  endeavored  to  interest 

246 


HISTUKV   OF  STAllK  COUNTY  '247 

tliciii  in  tlie  formation  of  a  class  of  chuTch.  In  18;5.)  Rev.  ^Villianl  C. 
Cuniniing's  was  appointed  by  Eisliop  Roberts  from  the  Illinois  con- 
ference to  the  "Peoria  ^Mission,"  which  embraced  the  present  counties 
of  Peoria,  Fulton.  Knox,  Stark  and  ^Marshall.  In  writing  of  his 
experiences  as  a  missionary,  INlr.  Cummings  says:  '"I  preached  at 
Father  Fraker's,  whose  name  is  of  precious  memory  in  the  churches, 
and  rode  from  there  over  the  ground  where  Toulon  and  Lafayette 
now  stand,  though  they  probably  iuid  not  then  been  thought  of.  Not 
far  I'roni  the  jjresent  site  of  Toulon  lived  Adam  Perry,  whom  I  ap- 
])ointed  class  leader  of  a  small  society  in  the  Essex  Settlement,  where 
we  held  a  quarterly  meeting  in  18.'J.5,  at  which  ^V.  13.  ^lack  and 
Stephen  R.  Beggs  Avere  present." 

In  the  class  thus  organized  by  Mr.  Cummings  were :  Gen.  Samuel 
Thomas,  James  Holgate,  J.  W.  Agard  and  their  wives,  George  SjKirr, 
Adam  Day,  Mrs.  Perry,  Ann  Carney  and  Elizabeth  Essex.  It  was 
undoubtedly  the  beginning  of  church  organization  in  Stark  County. 
Adam  Perry  afterward  joined  the  ]Mormon  Church  and  J.  W.  Agard 
became  the  leader  of  the  class. 

In  18.'3()  ]Mr.  Cummings  organized  a  society  at  Wyoming,  which 
was  the  beginning  of  the  ^Vyoming  Methodist  Church.  The  meeting 
was  held  at  the  house  of  General  Thomas.  Most  of  those  included  in 
the  class  of  the  previo\is  year  transferred  their  membershii)  to  Wyom- 
ing. jNIr.  Cummings  also  orgam'zed  a  class  at  Dexter  Wall's,  of  which 
AViJliam  Hall  was  made  leader.  ]Mr.  and  ^Nlrs.  James  Ilolgate  became 
members  of  this  class,  along  with  ]Mr.  and  ]Mrs.  Phenix,  JNIrs.  Wall, 
]\[rs.  Asher  Smith,  Mrs.  AVilliam  Hall  and  Miss  ]\Iary  Hall. 

About  the  time  these  classes  were  formed  Rev.  Jesse  Heath,  father 
of  the  first  county  recorder,  preached  for  the  society  at  Wyoming, 
and  he  was  followed  by  Rev.  Zadoc  Hall  and  Rev.  L.  C.  Walker. 
Services  were  held  at  the  residences  of  the  members,  in  ^Vhitney 
Smith's  store  and  in  the  schoolhouse  until  18.50,  when  a  house  of  wor- 
ship was  Iniilt  on  ground  donated  by  General  Thomas.  In  1837 
(iencral  Thomas  gave  the  church  one  and  a  half  acres  of  land.  u\nn\ 
which  George  Sparr  built  a  parsonage  in  1838.  The  old  church  build- 
ing was  sold  to  C.  S.  Payne  in  1882  and  the  present  edifice,  a  neat 
frame  building,  was  erected. 

William  Hall  contiimed  as  leader  of  the  class  at  Wall's  for  about 
ten  years.  He  was  succeeded  by  John  Drawyer.  In  18.32  this  class 
was  divided,  j\Ir.  Drawyer  taking  charge  of  a  ucav  class  at  Seeley's 
Point.  When  the  Chicago,  Btu'lington  &  Quincy  Railroad  was  com- 
pleted through  the  county  members  of  these  two  classes  united  in  the 


>v 


248  HISTORY  OF  STAUK  COUNTY 

organizing  of  the  Methodist  Church  of  Castleton.  Among  them  were, 
the  Miners,  Drawyers,  Norrises,  Pryors,  Holgates,  Browns,  Fosters, 
Bunnclls  and  other  leading  families  of  Penn  Township. 

The  ^Methodist  P^piscopal  Churcli  of  Toulon  had  its  beginning  in 
the  year  1841,  when  a  class  was  formed  just  south  of  the  town,  with 
Caleb  B.  Flint  as  leader.  The  next  year  the  meetings  were  held  at  the 
cabin  of  John  Prior,  the  pioneer  chairmaker.  His  house  and  the 
meetings  held  there  arc  thus  described  by  INlrs.  Shallcnberger:  "This 
structure,  which  was  of  hewn  logs  and  but  partly  finished,  never  hav- 
ing the  loft  more  than  half  floored,  was  very  serviceable  to  the  first 
comers  here,  serving  them  alternately  as  church  and  schoolhouse.  The 
fireplace  was  rough  and  large,  into  which  good  sized  logs  could  be 
thrown  when  occasion  required ;  a  pole,  the  dimensions  of  a  connnon 
handsiJike,  served  as  poker,  or  lever,  and  an  old  saw  inverted  ])layed 
shovel.  Then,  as  a  pointed  illustration  of  the  proverb,  'shoemakers' 
wives  always  go  barefoot,'  there  never  was  a  whole  chair  seen  in  this 
establishment.  A  number  of  chair  frames  with  shingles  laid  on  them 
accommodated  the  adult  listeners,  while  a  turning  lathe  in  the  corner 
afforded  perching  places  for  the  little  folks.  Thus  the  people  gath- 
ered, the  men  wearing  patches  without  shame,  and  the  girls  in  sun- 
l)onnets  and  coarse  shoes,  or  the  little  ones  without  any,  and  listened 
to  the  Powells.  Blakes,  Wilkinsons  and  Boyers  of  old:  but  \\hat  our 
memory  still  retains  of  those  meetings  with  peculiar  pleasure  is  tlie 
rich,  full  tenor  of  Caleb  Flint,  which,  when  wedded  to  some  of  ^Yes- 
ley's  glowing  lines,  bore  all  hearts  aloft  and  made  a  sanctuary  of  the 
rough  dwelling  where  we  met." 

In  1846  a  quarterly  meeting  was  held  at  the  house  of  Samuel 
Beatty,  with  Rev.  A.  E.  Phelps,  presiding  elder:  Rev.  John  G.  Whit- 
comb,  minister  in  charge.  Rev.  ^Y.  C.  Cummings,  the  first  missionarj^ 
on  the  Peoria  JNIission  was  also  present.  Like  the  Wyoming  INIeth- 
odist  Church,  the  society  met  in  the  homes  of  the  members  and  variotis 
other  places  for  a  number  of  years.  On  June  "2,  18.53,  a  meeting  was 
called  to  discuss  the  advisability  of  erecting  a  church.  Rev.  C.  Lazen- 
bec  presided  and  Samuel  Beatty  acted  as  secretary.  Joseph  Catterlin, 
who  had  been  class  leader  for  several  years,  Joseph  H.  Riddle,  Charles 
N.  Johnson,  Bushrod  Tapp  and  Samuel  Beatty  were  elected  trustees 
and  authorized  to  build  a  church.  Subsequently  W.  F.  Thomas  and 
T.  J.  Wright  were  appointed  a  building  committee.  Early  in  18.54 
a  frame  house  of  worship  Avas  com])leted  and  formally  dedicated. 

The  building  thus  erected  served  the  congregation  for  a  little  over 
thirty  years.     Its  original  cost  was  $2,000.     In  180,5  about  fi\e  hun- 


HlSTOllV  OF  STARK  COUNTY  249 

(Ircd  dollars  were  expended  in  repairs  and  alterations,  and  again  in 
1870  several  hundred  dollars  were  spent  in  making  the  huilding  e(iual 
to  the  demands  of  the  congregation.  On  October  1,  1884,  Rev.  W.  W. 
Carr  came  to  the  church  as  pastor  and  soon  afterward  started  a  move- 
ment for  a  new  building.  In  :May,  1885,  he  reported  that  $4,000  had 
been  subscribed.  The  trustees  then  bought  the  lot  at  the  northeast 
corner  of  "Slam  and  Henderson  streets,  the  corner-stone  was  laid  on 
August  0,  188.J.  and  before  the  close  of  the  year  the  congregation  took 
possession  of  the  new  structure.  The  first  sessions  of  the  Toulon 
Academy  Mere  held  in  the  old  frame  ^lethodist  Church,  and  it  is  a 
rather  singular  coincidence  that  the  building  should  have  been  sold  to 
the  same  man  (H.  C.  Bradley)  who  bought  the  old  seminary,  using 
the  latter  for  a  residence  and  the  old  church  edifice  for  a  workshop. 

In  1846,  while  Rev.  A.  E.  Phelps  was  presiding  elder,  a  series  of 
meetings  were  conducted  at  Lafayette  lasting  nearly  three  weeks. 
Previous  to  that  time  meetings  had  been  held  in  the  village  and  a 
camp  meeting  had  been  held  there  in  1842 — the  second  in  the  county, 
the  first  having  been  held  at  Wyoming  in  1840.  The  result  of  the 
"revival"  was  the  organization  of  the  ^Methodist  society.  The  early 
history  of  the  Lafayette  31ethodist  Church  is  shrouded  in  obscurity, 
but  it  is  believed  that  Rev.  George  C.  Holmes,  a  "circuit  rider."  was 
the  first  to  serve  as  regular  pastor.  Early  in  the  '.)0s  Rev.  John  ]Morey 
came.  He  founded  the  Methodist  Church  at  Galva,  which  with  Lafay- 
ette and  West  Jersey  constituted  a  circuit. 

Rev.  Amos  ]Morey  took  charge  of  the  circuit  in  18.57  and  during 
his  first  year  granted  about  thirty  letters  to  members  of  the  congrega- 
tion who  wanted  to  go  West,  chiefly  to  Kansas.  This  weakened  the 
church  somewhat,  but  a  revival  toward  the  close  of  the  year  added 
about  one  hundred  new  members.  Amos  ^Nlorey  died  on  January  14, 
18it2,  at  the  home  of  his  daughter,  INIrs.  Rhoda  M.  Jackson,  in  Abing- 
don. 111.  He  was  then  seventy-nine  years  of  age  and  had  spent  about 
fifty  years  in  active  work  as  a  minister.  INIrs.  Jackson  now  lives  in 
liafayette. 

The  first  church  erected  by  the  Lafayette  INIethodists  was  a  frame 
structure,  which  stood  where  the  present  church  now  stands.  On  July 
31.  1873.  the  church  was  incorporated  with  James  ^Martin.  Edward  G. 
Hill.  .lohii  Williams,  .Tames  Thomson  and  P^mcry  Buffum  as  trus- 
tees. The  ])resent  house  of  worshij),  a  handsome  brick  building,  was 
erected  in  11)00.  at  a  cost  of  about  eight  thousand  dollars. 

A  Methodist  society  was  organized  at  Star^\ano  at  an  early  date 
and  in  1868  a  house  of  worship  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  $2,200.    IMeet- 


250  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

ings  were  held  here  until  the  Methodist  Church  at  West  Jersey  was 
destroyed  by  fire,  when  the  Starwano  building  was  removed  to  West 
Jersey  and  used  in  the  construction  of  a  new  house  of  worshi]).  the 
two  congregations  then  becoming  consolidated. 

Among  the  early  settlers  in  Osceola  Grove  were  a  few  who  be- 
O  longed  to  the  jNIethodist  Episcopal  Church  and  meetings  were  held  at 
an  early  date.  In  18.51  the  "Osceola  Class"  was  holding  regular 
meetings  in  the  schoolhouse,  with  Caleli  B.  Flint  as  class  leader. 
Among  the  members  of  this  class  were  William  and  Ann  Hall,  Diana 
Flint,  \Villiam  H.  and  Hannah  Jones,  the  Stidhams,  the  Curriers 
and  a  few  others.  About  the  close  of  the  Civil  war  a  regular  church 
was  organized  and  a  house  of  worship  erected.  For  several  years  the 
congregation  prospered.  Then  death  and  removals  thinned  the  ranks 
and  meetings  were  held  onlj'  at  irregiilar  intervals  for  a  time.  This 
church  received  a  handsome  bequest  from  Winthrop  E.  Lyford.  mIio 
in  his  will  gave  the  trustees  six  acres  of  land  where  he  lived  and  the 
income  from  the  proceeds  of  the  sale  of  107  acres  of  land,  on  condition 
that  they  would  erect  a  church,  to  cost  at  least  five  thousand  dollars. 
His  will  is  dated  December  .5,  1912. 

About  18.51  or  18.52  a  ]Methodist  class  of  some  twenty-five  or  thirty 
members  was  organized  at  the  Indian  Creek  schoolhouse,  in  Goshen 
Township.  Charles  Howater  was  the  class  leader.  Xo  church  build- 
ing was  ever  erected  and  after  a  time  the  members  united  with  other 
convenient  INIethodist  societies. 

Soon  after  the  first  settlements  were  made  in  what  is  no^v  AVest 
Jersey  Township,  meetings  were  held  by  JMethodist  ministers  who 
visited  that  part  of  the  county  at  intervals.  The  West  Jersey  INIeth- 
odist Church  is  the  outgrowth  of  a  class  organized  at  Hazen's  school- 
house.  The  class  at  Finch's  schoolhouse,  near  the  east  line  of  the 
township,  developed  into  the  Starwano  INIethodist  Church  ])reviously 
mentioned.  Isaac  jNI.  AVitter  of  the  latter  class  was  a  local  preacher. 
There  was  also  a  class  organized  at  Trickle's  schoolhouse,  which  in 
time  united  with  the  class  at  Hazen's  in  the  formation  of  the  West 
Jersey  JNIethodist  Episcopal  Church.  This  was  about  18.52.  and  a  few 
years  later  a  neat  frame  house  of  worship  was  erected  in  the  village. 
It  was  destroyed  by  fire  a  few  years  ago,  when  the  Starwano  church 
building  was  removed  to  the  village  and  used  in  the  erection  of  a  new 
building  as  above  stated. 

The  jNIethodists  living  at  Elmira  and  in  the  vicinity  organized  a 
class  early  in  the  '.50s,  Avhich  included  the  Fuller,  Clark,  Ferris  and 
Hudson  families  and  a  few  of  their  neighbors.     In  18.59  a  series  of 


HISTORY  OF  STxVKK  COUNTY  251 

revival  meetings  weix-  held  by  Rev.  W.  J.  Smith  and  at  the  close  of 
the  revival  a  movement  was  started  for  the  erection  of  a  ehnrch.  W. 
INI.  Fnller,  JNIatthew  Rell  and  Elislm  Clark  were  appointed  a  bnilding 
committee;  ^I.  G.  Rrace  donated  a  site;  funds  were  solicited,  and  in 
the  fall  of  1859  a  neat  frame  house  of  worship  was  dedicated.  The 
society  prospered  for  several  years,  when  death  and  removals  weakened 
the  connregation.  The  surviving  members  tlien  united  with  other 
churches  and  the  Klmira  church  went  down. 

Soon  after  the  Town  of  Bradford  was  surveyed  in  the  spring  of 
18.)4  and  a  few  people  had  settled  there,  some  of  the  JMethodists  be- 
longing to  the  classes  at  \Vairs  schoolhouse  and  Seeley's  Point  began 
to  discuss  the  advisability  of  uniting  and  organizing  a  church  at  Brad- 
ford. Several  years  elapsed  before  the  movement  took  definite  shape, 
but  the  early  records  of  the  congregation  cannot  be  found,  hence  the 
history  of  the  church  prior  to  about  1875  is  uncertain.  In  that  year  a 
frame  house  of  worship  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  •$.'$, 500.  It  was  dedi- 
cated on  March  12.  187(>,  and  ten  years  later  it  was  extensively  altered 
and  repaired.  This  church  is  now  known  as  the  "Leet  Memorial 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church."  Tln-ough  the  generosity  of  AVilliani 
Leet,  Bradford's  first  banker,  a  new  building  was  erected  and  dedi- 
cated on  June  11.  18!)!),  giving  the  Bradford  ^lethodists  one  of  the 
l)est  houses  of  worship  in  the  county.  It  is  located  on  the  north  side 
of  Main  Street,  a  short  distance  east  of  Peoria  Street. 

About  1849  several  members  of  the  ^Methodist  Protestant  Church 
settled  in  the  Snare  iieighborhood  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  county. 
A  class  was  soon  afterward  organized  by  Rev.  JMoses  .Tared,  of  Canton. 
'I'he  next  year  a  parsonage  was  purchased,  but  it  was  sold  in  1882  and 
the  church  was  removed  to  Castleton.  Among  the  early  members  of 
this  ehurch  were'  the  Snare.  Holmes.  i\dams.  Ackley.  Morris  and 
Smith  families,  Alexander  and  Rhoda  Ballentine,  Ilemy  and  Cynthia 
Newton,  Laura  and  Ella  Dixon  and  the  Fultons. 

A  Methodist  Protestant  Church  was  organized  at  Wady  Petra  in 
February,  1868.  The  old  record  shows  that  the  first  members  were: 
'Weldon  and  Sarah  Reagan,  Richard  and  j\mi  I  light.  Daniel  S.  and 
Clarinda  Tiiurston,  John  C.  and  Rachel  Wright.  Thomas  and  iVnn 
Haywood,  John  and  INIary  Haines,  Joseph  and  Rebecca  Essex,  INIaria 
Luper,  Emma  Pilgrim,  Viola  Keeling,  Elizabeth  Pettit  and  Eliza- 
beth Simms.  During  the  next  twenty  years  the  cliurch  prospered,  but 
the  old  members  have  nearly  all  died  or  are  unable  to  attend  regularly, 
and  in  recent  years  the  church  has  lost  some  of  its  former  prestige. 

There  is  also  a  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  the  southwestern 


252  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

l^art  of  Essex  Township,  in  the  settlement  known  as  "Stringtown." 
^      It  was  established  many  j^ears  ago,  but  little  can  be  learned  of  its 
history. 

THE   BAPTISTS 

Close  behind  the  JNIethodists  came  the  Baptists.  On  June  1j,  183U, 
when  Stark  County  was  but  about  three  months  old,  the  Society  of 
Baptists  known  as  the  Fahrenheit  Church,  was  organized  in  Goshen 
o  Township,  in  what  was  called  the  ^liner  Settlement.  Among  the 
early  members  were  Charles  H.  jNIiner  and  his  wife,  Selden  ]Miner 
and  wife,  Elisha  Gill  and  wife,  jNlrs.  Parrish,  J.  M.  Stickney  and 
wife,  and  Susan  ]\I.  Eastman.  Elder  Jonathan  INIiner,  who  was  aetiv  e 
in  organizing  the  church,  served  as  pastor  until  1844.  ^Meetings  were 
held  at  ^Nlrs.  Chas.  H.  ^Miner's  until  about  18.50,  when  the  church 
bm'lding  at  Lafayette  was  completed. 

In  1848  a  Baptist  Church  was  organized  at  Toulon.  J.  ]\I.  Stick- 
ney, Elisha  Gill  and  H.  T.  Ives  were  chosen  delegates  to  the  Illinois 
River  Association.  Stickney  and  Gill  had  withdrawn  from  the  Fah- 
renheit Clun-ch,  as  had  a  number  of  others,  to  assist  in  the  organization 
of  the  Toulon  BajJtist  Church.  Up  to  1851  meetings  were  generally 
held  in  the  courthouse.  A  revival  in  November,  18.51,  added  several 
new  members  to  the  congregation  and  early  in  18.5'J  a  movement  was 
started  to  build  a  clun-ch.  Nothing  definite  was  done,  however,  vmtil 
in  October,  when  the  pastor  was  requested  to  confer  with  an  architect 
regarding  plans  and  a  campaign  was  started  to  raise  funds.  The 
chinrh  building  was  completed  and  was  dedicated  in  April,  18j.5. 

Early  in  1868  a  number  of  the  members  withdrew,  owing  to  dis- 
sensions over  the  ownership  and  management  of  the  churcli  j)roperty, 
which  dissensions  dated  back  for  nearly  ten  years.  Those  who  with- 
drew then  organized  the  Second  Baptist  Clun-ch  of  Toulon.  They 
])(n-chased  a  lot  at  the  northwest  corner  of  jNIain  and  Olive  streets,  and 
bef(u-e  the  close  of  the  year  1868  dedicated  a  frame  church  edifice, 
which  had  been  erected  at  a  cost  of  $2,37j.  Rev.  W.  A.  Welsher  was 
the  first  regular  pastor. 

In  the  meantime  the  remaining  members  of  the  old  church  tried  to 
effect  a  reconciliation.  In  February.  1868.  they  adojited  a  resolution 
])lacing  the  church  property  in  the  bands  of  trustees,  to  be  held  for  a 
new  church  organization,  and  on  July  8,  1868.  they  again  met  and 
passed  resolutions  of  a  conciliatory  nature,  but  the  withdrawing  mem- 
l)ers  Avere  not  to  be  ajipeased.  and  for  more  than  ten  years  Toulon 
had  two  weak  Baptist  churches  instead  of  one  strong  one.     In  1877 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  253 

the  old  contentions  were  happily  adjusted,  the  two  churches  again 
united  and  the  building  erected  by  the  Second  Church  was  sold  to  tiie 
Catholics. 

Among-  those  who  signed  the  constitution  of  the  consolidated 
ciiurches  in  September,  1877,  were:  JMartha  and  Sarah  Berfield,  An- 
drew and  Julia  Baldwin,  Abram  Bowers  and  wife,  Albert  Bowers  and 
wife.  Harriet  Hall,  I^ettie  and  Sarah  Sillinian.  Frank  ^Villiams  and 
wife,  l>uther,  Avery  and  Kate  Cieer,  J.  C.  Hart  and  wife,  JNlrs.  A. 
(iill.  Flora  Gill,  and  a  number  of  others.  Benjamin  Packer,  Owen 
Thomas,  Hugh  Y.  Godfrey,  N.  F.  Winans  and  S.  W.  Eastman  \\eie 
elected  trustees  and  the  name  adopted  was  "The  Ba]3tist  Church  of 
Toulon."  The  following  April  the  old  church  property  was  sold  and 
witliin  a  short  time  afterward  the  present  church  edifice,  located  on 
the  southeast  corner  of  Jefferson  and  ^Vashington  streets,  was  erected. 
This  building  was  thoi'onghly  remodeled  in  the  summer  and  fall  of 
11)1.5.  making  one  of  the  best  houses  of  worship  in  the  county. 

The  Baptist  Church  at  Lafayette,  which  was  also  an  offspring  of 
the  old  Falu'cnheit  Church,  continued  for  a  number  of  years,  when  the 
congregation  became  so  weakened  that  it  was  forced  to  disband.  The 
church  l)uilding  was  sold  to  E.  G.  Hill,  who  converted  it  into  a  planing 
mill. 

On  August  15, 18.>3,  the  Stark  Predestinarian  Baptist  Society  was 
oi'ganized  at  JNIodena  by  a  number  of  members  of  the  old  Sandy 
Creek  Association,  who  changed  the  name  to  the  Spoon  River  Pre- 
destinarian Ba])tist  Association.  Among  the  founders  of  this  society 
were  the  \"an(likes,  Chenoweths,  Fillinghams,  Isaac  Babbitt.  George 
Beall.  Benjamin  and  Jane  Newton,  David  Potter  and  Elder  Robert  F. 
Haynes,  several  of  whom  lived  in  Henry  County.  On  October  1, 
18.50,  the  new  meeting  house  at  ]Modena  was  opened,  the  meetings 
prior  to  that  time  having  been  held  in  the  Franklin  schoolhouse.  The 
record  of  this  church  closes  in  1877.  though  a  few  of  the  members 
continued  to  hold  meetings  for  some  time  after  that  date. 

The  Baptist  Church  of  Osceola  was  organized  on  February  10, 
1800,  in  the  schoolhouse,  Dr.  E.  R.  Boardman  presiding  and  J.  G. 
Boardman  acting  as  secretary.  The  little  society  continued  to  meet 
in  the  schoolhouse  until  the  following  year.  On  January  12,  1801, 
Isaac  Spencer,  E.  R.  Boardman,  M.  H.  Weaver,  Otis  Gardner  and 
M.  J.  Weaver  were  appointed  a  building  committee,  but  the  w^ork 
went  slowly  and  the  building  was  not  ready  for  occupancy  until  in 
180.3.  This  society  is  one  of  the  active  Baptist  congregations  of  the 
county. 


254  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

One  of  the  early  Rajjtist  organizations  was  the  Free  Will  Baptist 
Society  of  Khnira,  Avliich  was  organized  several  years  before  the  he- 
ginning  of  the  Civil  war,  though  little  can  be  learned  of  its  history. 
Among  the  members  were  John  Leason  and  his  family,  the  Winslows, 
ihe  Berrys,  Adaline  Condell,  Charles  Bolt,  the  Fairbanks  family  and 
the  Griswolds,  of  Boyd's  Grove.  Xo  house  of  worship  was  ever  erected 
and  after  a  number  of  years  the  society  went  down.  The  descendants 
of  some  of  the  early  members  now  belong  to  the  Baptist  Society  that 
holds  meetings  in  a  schoolhouse  on  Jug  Run. 

Elder  Dodge,  of  Toulon,  A.  J.  Wright,  of  Saxon,  and  J.  ^I. 
Stickney  visited  Wyoming  in  August,  18G7,  and  organized  a  Baptist 
Church  witli  the  following  members.  J.  INI.  Stickney.  who  was  the 
first  pastor,  Ephraim  and  Eliza  jNI.  Holton,  JMargaret  A.  Conover, 
Sarah  and  ^Martha  E.  Wilson,  ]Mary  Butler,  Josephine  Holton.  Rachel 
Eong,  Adelaide  Cole,  Lucy  Timmons,  Louisa  Hearse  and  Rachel 
Davis.  Francis  Walker  Mas  also  a  member  at  an  early  date  in  the 
society's  history.  INIeetings  Avere  held  in  such  quarters  as  could  be 
obtained  until  July  10. 1872,  w'hen  the  frame  church  on  Galena  Avenue 
was  dedicated  and  the  Baptists  moved  into  their  new  home  out  of  debt. 
For  more  than  forty  years  this  house  stood  and  meetings  were  held 
there  regularly  for  many  years,  but  in  the  summer  of  191.5  it  was  torn 
down  and  nuned  away,  nearly  all  the  original  members  having  died 
and  the  church  grew  so  weak  that  it  was  unal)le  to  emi)loy  a  pastor. 

On  December  12,  1809.  Elder  Stickney,  upon  invitation  of  some 
of  the  Baptists  living  in  Bradford,  attended  a  meeting  in  that  village 
and  presented  articles  of  association  providing  for  the  formation  of  a 
Baptist  Church,  which  articles  were  signed  by  J.  ]\L  Stickney,  Andrew 
and  Eunice  Britton.  Annie  Prout,  John  R.  and  Sarah  Hatch.  John 
and  3Iary  Winslow,  William  F.  and  ]Madge  J.  Patt.  Hannah  S.  Ful- 
kerson  and  perhaps  one  or  tAvo  others.  The  first  services  were  held  by 
Elder  Stickney  on  January  23.  1870.  and  on  the  first  day  of  ]May 
following,  the  Bradford  Baptist  Church  was  formally  organized. 
The  society  adopted  the  name  of  the  "First  Regidar  Baptist  Church 
of  Bradford"  at  a  meeting  a  little  later  and  Rev.  F.  B.  Ives  preached 
occasionally  during  the  first  year.  The  first  regular  pastor  was  Rev. 
G.  D.  Kent,  who  came  to  Bradford  in  February.  1871,  and  the  fol- 
lowing ^Vpril  the  church  became  connected  Avith  the  Ottawa  Baptist 
Association. 

On  July  21,  1871,  AndreAv  Leslie  Avas  aAvarded  the  contract  to 
erect  a  church  building  for  •'^2,27.5.  The  first  services  Avere  held  in  the 
ncAv  house  the  day  before  Christmas,  1871.    The  building  is  still  occu- 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  255 

pied  l)y  the  congregation,  anil,  although  the  oldest  church  edifice  in 
Bradford,  it  is  in  good  repair.  It  is  the  most  centrally  located  of  any 
of  the  churches,  being  on  the  south  side  of  ^lain  Street,  only  a  short 
distance  east  of  the  Chicago,  Burlingtt)n  ilk  Quincy  Railroad. 

THE   PRESBYTEKIANS 

The  first  Presbyterian  organization  in  Stark  County  was  the 
Osceola  Society,  which  was  organized  on  June  8,  1839,  though  a  meet- 
ing had  been  called  on  the  25th  of  JMay,  at  which  the  prelhuinary  steps 
were  taken  for  the  establishment  of  a  church.  On  that  date  five  mem- 
bers of  the  Davis  family — John,  Polly,  JNIargaret,  Frances  and 
Rosanna — Helen  Rrydon.  Thomas  and  IMargaret  Oliver,  Calvin  and 
Betsey  Winslow,  John  and  ^largaret  Turnbull,  William  and  Agnes 
Parks,  IMary  Wiseman,  Sarah  Spencer,  Robert  and  JNIargaret  Turn- 
hull,  Hannah  Pike,  Magaret  INIoore,  Adam  Oliver  and  Hannah  Ful- 
ler, all  were  admitted  to  membership  "on  certificate." 

The  record  shows  that  "William  Parks,  who  had  been  ordained 
an  elder  in  A'irginia,  was  duly  elected  with  John  Davis,  ruling  elders 
in  this  church:  that  they  declared  their  acceptance  of  the  office,  and 
covenanted  to  discharge  the  duties  thereof,  according  to  the  Confes- 
sion of  Faith  and  the  Book  of  Discipline  of  the  Presbyterian  Church 
in  the  United  States." 

Says  ]Mrs.  Shallenberger:  "We  doubt  if  any  other  religious  or- 
ganization within  our  borders  sprang  into  life  with  such  an  array  of 
names  as  this — and  we  mean  no  play  u]X)n  the  frequent  recurrence  of 
the  name  '^largaret,'  although  that  is  singular — but  whether  con- 
.sidered  numerically,  or  as  to  character  and  standing,  it  was  a  strong- 
church  for  the  time  when  it  was  formed;  and  it  was  no  child's  play, 
but  a  solemn  compact  of  mature  men  and  women  to  make  their  in- 
fluence felt  for  good  in  forming  the  opinions  and  habits  of  the  new 
county." 

The  church  never  had  a  regular  pastor.  Services  were  held  at 
intervals  by  Revs.  R.  B.  Dobbins,  W.  J.  Frazer,  E.  S.  High,  and 
William  F.  Vail.  In  the  organization  all  but  four  of  the  members 
voted  for  the  adoption  of  the  Old  School  form  of  worship,  which 
method  was  followed  as  long  as  the  church  existed.  After  the  removal 
of  the  postotfice  to  Elmira  and  the  establishment  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  there,  the  Osceola  Society  went  down,  the  last  records  bearing 
date  of  August  14,  18.).). 

Another  Presln'terian  Church  of  1839  was  the  one  organized  In 
what  is  now  West  Jersey  Township.     Among  the  members  in  1841 


256  HISTOKY  OF  STAKK  COUNTY 

(the  earliest  records  preserved)  were  James  llulsizer,  S.  G.  W'riglit, 
James  Ferguson,  Francis  Anthony,  Wesley  Heath,  Newton  Mat- 
thews, Rev.  A.  C.  Miller,  the  Mclntoshes,  JMcKinstrys,  Eatons,  Bo- 
dines,  Yomigs  and  other  pioneer  families  whose  names  are  familiar 
in  the  early  history  of  the  coimty.  The  last  regular  pastor  was  Rev. 
J.  C.  Hannah,  who  preached  there  in  1877.  Not  long  after  that  the 
church  disbanded. 

The  Presbyterian  Church  of  Lafayette  dates  its  beginning  from 
1841,  when  Rev.  S.  G.  ^^'right,  afterward  school  commissioner, 
preached  in  the  village  and  several  persons  expressed  their  desire  to 
oroanize  a  church.  No  house  of  worship  was  ever  erected  and  when  in 
1846  some  of  the  members  withdrew  to  join  the  Congregational  Church 
at  Toulon,  the  Lafayette  Society  passed  out  of  existence. 

3Irs.  Shallenberger,  whose  book  was  published  in  1876,  says  of 
the  United  Presbyterian  Church  of  Elmira:  "This  church  was  orig- 
inally known  as  the  'Associate  Reformed  Congregation  of  Osceola,' 
changed  in  1852  from  Osceola  to  Elmira  to  correspond  with  the  name 
of  the  nearest  postotfice.  And  the  Associate  and  Associate  Refoi-m 
churches  of  the  United  States  being  formally  united  in  May,  1858, 
the  congregation  became  known  by  that  union  as  'The  United  Presby- 
terian Church  of  Elmira,'  l)y  which  name  it  is  still  recognized." 

Although  the  formal  organization  of  the  church  dates  from  1852, 
Rev.  N.  C.  Weede,  a  Presbyterian  minister  of  ^Marshall  County,  had 
held  meetings  and  preached  in  Elmira  as  early  as  1849.  Among  the 
early  members  of  this  church  were  the  Turnbulls,  Olivers  and  some 
others  who  had  been  identified  with  the  Presbyterian  Church  at  Osce- 
ola. Then  there  were  the  ]Murchisons,  Grieves,  Murrays.  Jacksons, 
Scotts,  ^NlcLennans  and  other  well  known  families  who  were  atfiliated 
with  this  congregation  at  an  early  day  and  active  in  its  support.  In 
1853  an  acre  of  land  was  bought  from  Clinton  Fuller  and  a  frame 
church.  30  by  40  feet,  was  built  for  $1,275. 

To  quote  again  from  ]Mrs.  Shallenberger:  "In  the  spring  of  18(54 
a  considerable  number  left  this  congregation  (the  United  Presbyterian 
of  Elmira)  to  constitute  the  'Knox  Church  of  Elmira,'  which  is  in 
connection  with  the  Canada  Presbyterian  Church.  ]Much  interest  at- 
taches to  this  Knox  Church,  partly  because  its  communicants  are 
mainly  Scotch  Highlanders,  or  Gaelic  people,  and  services  have  usually 
been  performed  in  the  Gaelic  tongue." 

As  early  as  1856  some  of  the  Scotch  Presbyterians  in  and  about 
Elmira  applied  to  the  Canada  Synod  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  to 
send  a  minister  who  could  preach  in  eitlier  Gaelic  or  English.     Not 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  257 

long  after  that,  Rev.  Duncan  JMcUerniid  came  and  jji-eached  two  ser- 
mons, and  in  18(>'2  Rev.  Adam  JNlcKay  visited  them  for  two  successive 
Sundays.  In  18(34.  l{ev.  Loehhn  Cameron,  of  Acton,  Ontario,  came 
and  remained  for  ahout  six  weeks.  It  was  under  his  ministrations  that 
the  church  was  formally  organized.  He  was  succeeded  hy  Rev.  Arch- 
ibald McDermid,  and"  on  September  27,  1804.,  John  ^McLennan, 
Donald  ^IcDonald  and  James  Armstrong  were  elected  elders.  JNIeet- 
ings  were  held  in  the  homes  of  the  members  or  in  the  jNIethodist  Church 
until  18(JG,  when  a  house  of  worship  was  erected. 

A  third  Presbyterian  Church  was  oi-ganized  at  Elmira  on  May  8, 
1881.  by  Revs.  T.  G.  Scott  and  John  Weston.  While  several  mem- 
bers of  this  society  were  Scotch,  a  large  number  were  English  speak- 
ing people,  who  could  not  understand  the  Gaelic  language.  At  a 
meeting  held  on  December  20,  1881,  to  consider  the  question  of  build- 
ing a  church,  a  majority  decided  in  favor  of  the  pro])osition  and  John 
Roberts,  John  Fowler,  John  G.  Turnbull,  George  Armstrong,  Joseph 
Cliapman,  Daniel  Dodd,  \Villiam  Reattie,  George  E.  Holmes,  John 
Ilindmarsh,  Henry  Scott,  James  Cinnamon,  Alexander  Buchanan 
and  William  Stevenson  were  appointed  a  committee  to  take  charge 
of  the  movement.  About  a  week  later  Clinton  Fuller  donated  a  lot  and 
in  the  fall  of  1882  the  church  edifice  was  completed  at  a  cost  of  $j,()0(). 
The  first  services  were  held  in  the  new  house  on  December  15,  1882. 
A  parsonage  was  erected  in  1885  at  a  cost  of  $2,500.  It  is  located  on 
the  Toulon  road,  a  little  southwest  of  the  village. 

I^eeson's  History  of  Stark  County,  published  in  1887,  says:  "It 
is  notable  that  the  three  Presbyterian  churches  of  Elmira  Township 
pay  $3,000  as  salaries  annually,  and  about  the  same  amount  for  other 
church  purposes." 

A  society  of  Cumberland  Presbyterians,  known  as  the  "^lound 
Church,"  Avas  organized  at  !Modena  some  time  in  the  '4.0s.  It  was 
never  ])rosi:)erous  and  after  a  few  years  it  went  down.  The  house  of 
worshi])  erected  by  this  church  became  the  property  of  the  Old  School 
Raptists,  who  in  turn  disbanded. 

THE    COXCJREGATIOXALISTS 

A  year  or  two  after  Stark  County  was  organized,  a  few  persons 
living  in  the  southern  ])art,  near  the  Peoria  County  line,  held  meetings 
and  Avorshiped  according  to  the  Congregational  faith.  There  is  a 
tradition  that  a  church  was  organized  there,  but  none  of  its  records 
have  been  preserved.     There  was  an  effort  made  to  oi-ganize  a  Con- 


258  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

greyatioiial  Clmich  at  La  Fayette  about  18-il  or  18-12,  but  iiotliiug 
definite  can  be  learned  of  the  movement. 

It  is  therefore  (luite  probable  tliat  the  Congregational  Church  of 
Toulon  is  entitled  to  recognition  as  the  first  society  of  tliat  denomina- 
tion in  the  county.  In  November,  1840,  Rev.  S.  G.  Wright,  Rev.  L. 
II.  Parker,  Hugh  Rhodes  and  a  few  others  met  in  the  court  room  at 
Toulon  and  took  the  necessary  steps  to  organize  a  church  by  adopting 
the  confession  of  faith  covenant  recognized  by  the  Congregational 
i-itual.  The  charter  members  were  Hugh  and  Jonatlian  Rhodes  and 
their  wives,  Giles  C.  Dana  and  wife,  ]Mrs.  Elizabeth  Rhodes,  Frank- 
lin and  Eliza  Rhodes.  Of  the  nine  original  members,  seven  belonged 
to  the  Rhodes  family,  and  the  little  society  became  known  as  the 
"Rhodes  Church." 

In  March.  184.7,  at  a  meeting  held  at  the  house  of  Hugh  Rhodes, 
nine  new  members  were  received  into  the  church.  They  were  S.  G. 
Wright,  Robert  Nicholson  and  wife,  Orrin  Rhodes"  and  wife,  John 
Pollock,  Jane  Bradley,  JMrs.  3Iatilda  Hall  and  ^Nliss  Eliza  Hall. 
Rev.  S.  G.  Wriglit  was  the  first  pastor.  He  was  identified  witli  the 
society  until  December,  1854. 

The  first  movement  toward  the  erection  of  a  house  of  worship  was 
made  on  August  24,  1849,  when  James  Flint,  Charles  F.  White  and 
Hugh  Rhodes  were  appointed  a  committee  to  confer  with  tlie  ^leth- 
odist  congregation  with  a  view  of  effecting  some  arrangement  by 
wliich  the  two  societies  could  be  united  in  the  erection  of  a  house  of 
worship  to  be  used  by  both.  But  the  ^Methodists  declined  to  co-operate. 
Mr.  "Wright  then  started  out  with  a  subscription  paper,  secured  pledges 
or  subscriptions  amounting  to  a  little  over  one  lumdred  dollars,  went 
to  Henry  County  and  made  arrangements  for  lumber,  and  finally 
borrowed  $700  from  a  Fulton  County  man.  He  also  "drafted"  men 
to  go  to  the  quarry,  and  teams  to  havd  stone  for  the  foundation,  and 
on  September  21,  18.31,  the  congregation  worshiped  for  the  first  time 
in  the  "new  Congregational  Churcli  on  Henderson  Street,"  tliough 
the  house  Avas  not  fully  completed  until  some  months  later. 

In  July,  1882.  James  H.  JSIiller  and  R.  J.  Dickinson  were  ap- 
pointed a  committee  to  inquire  into  and  report  on  the  cost  of  rejxiiring 
the  old  cluu-ch  or  building  a  new  one.  Their  report,  which  favored  a 
new  building,  was  adopted  by  the  congregation  and  on  August  8, 
1882.  a  majority  of  the  members  voted  in  favor  of  erecting  the  new 
cliui-cli  upon  tlie  site  of  the  old  one.  The  building  committee  at  the 
same  time  was  instructed  to  sell  the  old  church  and  on  October  1.5, 
1882,  it  was  sold  to  Charles  S.  Payne,  of  Wyoming,  for  $175.     A 


HISTOKV   OF  ST  AUK  COUATV  259 

little  later  JNIr.  Pajne  purchased  the  old  JNlethodist  Churcli  of  Wyo- 
ming and  out  of  the  two  lie  built  the  Wyoniing  ()])era  House.  Tlie 
new  Congregational  Church  was  dedicated  on  January  3,  ISS^,  and 
was  used  by  the  society  until  1914,  when  the  present  niagniticent 
house  of  worship  was  dedicated.  It  is  located  at  the  southeast  corner 
of  Thomas  and  Henderson  streets  and  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  about 
thirty  thousand  dollars. 

The  Congregational  Church  of  Bradford  was  organized  on  Novem- 
ber 28,  1869,  by  Rev.  B.  jM.  Hoy,  but  none  of  the  church  records  can 
be  found.  ^Meetings  were  held  in  a  hall  or  in  the  Baptist  Church  until 
about  ISTJ-,  when  the  few  members  grew  discouraged,  disbanded  their 
organization  and  united  with  churches  elsewhere. 

On  April  3,  1873,  fourteen  Congregationalists  living  in  \V^y()ming 
got  together  and  organized  the  Wyoming  Congregational  Church. 
The  next  Sunday  Rev.  A.  A.  Stevens,  of  Peoria,  preached  for  the 
little  society  and  a  little  later  Rev.  W.  Walters  took  charge  as  pastor. 
lie  remained  with  the  church  until  1883,  when  he  was  called  to  the 
church  at  Lacon.  111.  The  original  fourteen  members  of  this  church 
were  Dr.  John  C.  and  Sarah  C.  Copestake,  John  and  Prudence  Rock- 
hold,  lleiu-y  V.  and  Charlotte  Turner,  Jolin  and  Augusta  Hawks, 
James  and  Susannah  Buckley,  William  and  ]Mary  A.  Walters,  JNIary 
C.  Scott  and  Ann  Wrigley. 

On  July  1.5,  1874,  the  pastor,  John  Hawks  and  Henry  F.  Turner 
were  appointed  a  l)uilding  committee.  A  lot  on  INIain  Street  was 
])urchased  for  .$100  from  W.  F.  Thomas,  who  donated  the  adjoining- 
lot,  and  the  cliurch  edifice  was  built  thereon  at  a  cost  of  $3, .585.  At 
the  time  it  was  completed  and  dedicated  (May  4,  1875),  it  was  con- 
sidered the  finest  church  building  in  Stark  County.  The  society  is 
still  an  active  power  for  good  in  Wyoming  and  in  191.3  was  under  the 
pastoral  charge  of  Rev.  ^Villiam  JMoore. 

In  1880  a  few  Congregationalists  living  in  the  little  Village  of 
Stark  and  the  adjacent  country  organized  a  small  society  and  for  a 
time  held  meetings  in  Simpson  &  Smith's  warehouse.  Later  the 
abandoned  cheese  factory  was  obtained  as  a  place  of  holding  services, 
and  here  a  Sunday  school  was  organized  in  the  spring  of  1883.  The 
persons  who  kept  up  the  Sunday  school  and  the  religious  meetings 
did  not  claim  to  be  a  regular  church,  and  it  was  not  initil  February  19, 
188.).  that  a  meeting  was  called  for  the  purpose  of  effecting  a  formal 
organization.  Then  the  Stark  Congregational  Church  was  founded 
and  M.  S.  Smith,  H.  F.  Blood,  W.  F.  Speer,  L.  Dixon  and  Charles 
Hampson  were  appointed  a  finance  committee,  to  solicit  aid  for  tlie 
building  of  a  church. 


V 


260  HlSTOliY  OF  STAKK  COUNTY 

The  organization  of  the  cliurch  was  finally  completed  on  April  19, 
1885,  when  eighteen  members  signed  the  articles  of  association.  The 
work  of  erecting  a  church  was  pushed  with  vigor  and  on  September 
20,  188.5,  the  house  of  worship  was  dedicated.  Its  cost  was  -$2,000. 
]{cv.  J.  K.  Tomkins,  of  Chicago,  preached  the  sermon  on  that  occasion. 

LATTER   DAY    SAINTS 

For  some  five  or  six  years  following  tlie  organization  of  Stark 
County  the  3Iormons,  or  Latter  Day  Saints,  were  (juite  active  in  the 
Spoon  River  Valley.  Mormon  elders  and  evangelists  visited  every 
settlement  and  wherever  given  an  opportunity  exjiounded  the  peculiar 
doctrines  of  their  church.  And  they  made  some  converts  in  quarters 
Avhere  such  a  thing  coidd  hardly  have  been  expected,  a  few  of  the 
pioneers  selling  all  they  had  to  follow  the  fortunes  of  the  "saints." 
Walnut  Creek  is  referred  to  in  Rev.  S.  G.  Wright's  diary  as  "the 
heart  of  the  ]Mormon  settlement,"  though  no  organized  church  was 
ever  established  in  the  county.  The  elders  operated  about  West  Jer- 
sey, in  Essex  Township  and  in  the  vicinity  of  Lafayette.  Among 
their  converts  were  Adam  Perry  and  some  members  of  the  Essex 
family. 

PEOTESTAXT   EPISCOP.VL    CHURCH 

This  denomination  has  never  l)een  strong  in  Stark  County,  the 
only  church  being  the  one  at  Wyoming.  It  dates  from  the  year  1848, 
Avhen  Rev.  Richard  Radley,  of  Jubilee,  Peoria  County,  came  to  AVyo- 
ming  and  conducted  services  at  the  house  of  Henry  Butler.  ]Mr. 
Radley  made  monthly  visits  until  31arch,  18,51,  when  he  left  for  Xew 
York.  He  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Philander  Chase,  who  formally 
organized  the  parish  in  Sejitember,  18.51,  as  "St.  Luke's  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church."  The  articles  of  association  were  signed  by  H.  A. 
Hoist,  Charles  S.  Payne,  Dr.  Luther  S.  :\Iilliken.  W.  B.  :Mcbonald, 
Thomas  B.  Whiff  en  and  Henry  Butler. 

The  parish  was  admitted  into  union  with  the  diocese  on  October 
18, 185.5,  and  in  ]May,  18.57,  a  movement  was  inaugurated  for  the  erec- 
tion of  a  church  building.  In  July  H.  A.  Hoist,  A.  B.  Butler  and 
J.  H.  Hopkins  were  appointed  a  building  committee,  the  building  was 
finished  in  due  time  and  was  dedicated  on  the  last  day  of  February, 
18.58.  The  cost  of  the  edifice  was  $1,020,  of  whicli  the  people  of 
Cliicago  gave  $271  and  $172  came  from  Episcojial  clnu'ches  in  the 
East.    In  the  course  of  a  few  years  the  business  district  of  Wyoming 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  261 

spread  until  the  location  of  the  church  became  un(lesiial)le  and  the 
conoi-fo-ation  accepted  the  offer  of  Ur.  Alfred  Castle  to  donate  a  lot 
on  North  Cralena  xVvenue,  to  which  tlie  building  was  removed  in  the 
early  part  of  1874. 

In  July,  1883,  Rev.  Cieorge  Moore,  then  pastor  of  the  Episcopal 
Church  at  Wyoming,  conducted  services  in  Bradford  as  a  sort  of 
exiX'riment.  He  had  a  good  audience  and  twenty-six  persons  were 
found  in  and  near  the  village  Avho  expressed  a  desire  to  become  mem- 
bers of  the  Episcopal  Church.  Accordingly,  at  a  business  meeting 
Iield  on  July  2.5.  1883,  tlie  necessary  papers  were  ])repared  and  signed 
to  send  to  Bishop  Burgess  at  Quincy,  requesting  his  approval  of  and 
assistance  in  organizing  a  mission  at  Bradford,  to  be  known  as  St. 
James.  The  bishop  gave  his  approval  and  in  December  sent  Rev.  R. 
C.  AVall.  of  Tiskihva,  to  take  charge  of  the  mission,  under  instructions 
to  hold  services  on  the  second  and  fourth  Sundays  of  cacli  month.  A 
room  was  rented  in  which  to  hold  these  services  and  the  attendance  was 
fairly  good  for  four  or  five  years.  Then  it  began  to  fall  off  and  the 
mission  of  St.  James  was  soon  afterward  abandoned. 

CHKISTIAXS    OR    DISCIPLES 

The  first  Christian  Church  to  be  organized  in  the  county  is  the  one 
at  Toulon,  which  dates  back  to  July  l.>,  1849,  when  a  meeting  was 
held  in  the  old  courthouse  and  the  following  persons  signed  the  nieni- 
bership  roll:  Elijah  and  Sarah  ]McClenalian,  Edward  and  ^lartha  J. 
AVilson,  Davitl  and  Mary  J.  INIcCance,  Henry  Sweet  and  James 
Bates.  Rev.  ^lilton'P.  King,  who  was  present  at  the  meeting,  was 
the  first  pastor  of  the  church.  In  185.)  a  church  edifice  was  erected  on 
the  east  side  of  Washington  Street,  between  ^Nlain  and  Vine.  The 
l)uil(ling.  a  substantial  l)riek  structure,  is  still  used  by  the  congi-ega-  T 
tion.  though  a  few  years  ago  it  was  generally  overhauled  and  re- 
modeled, the  walls  covered  with  cement  and  "penciled"  to  resemble 
stone.  The  property  is  valued  at  $.).()00.  During  an  electrical  storm 
in  August,  191.),  lightning  struck  the  church,  tore  the  top  off  the 
chimney  and  damaged  the  roof  to  a  small  extent. 

Prior  to  the  organization  of  the  Toulon  chiu'ch.  Rev.  ]Milton  P. 
King  had  conducted  meetings  near  the  south  line  of  the  county,  in 
wh:it  was  then  known  as  the  "Pratz  Settlement,"  and  several  persons 
united  with  the  church,  but  no  regular  church  organization  was  effected. 
INIr.  King  also  preached  at  Wyoming  and  I^afayette  and  a  Christian 
Church  was  finally  organized  at  the  latter  place  on  August  1,  1873, 


r 


262  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

under  the  name  of  the  "Chureh  of  Christ,"  with  John  Boyd,  James 
Ingles  and  J.  H.  Quinii,  trustees.  A  building  was  soon  afterward 
erected  and  services  held  regularly  for  several  years,  w  hen  tlie  society 
Avent  down  and  its  records  have  been  lost. 

THE   UXIVEESALISTS 

Three  Universalist  congregations  have  been  organized  in  Stark 
County,  but  none  was  in  existence  in  191.).  Rev.  R.  ]M.  Bartlett  came 
to  Toulon  in  the  winter  of  1860-Gl  and  preached  in  tlie  Odd  Fellows' 
Hall,  though  ])revious  to  this  time  sermons  had  been  i)reached  in  tlie 
town  by  Universalist  ministers,  whose  names  have  been  lost.  A  small 
society  was  organized  in  Toidon  liy  Reverend  Bartlett.  but  no  house 
of  worsliiiJ  was  ever  built  and  about  1873  tlie  Universalists  ceased  to 
hold  meetings. 

On  November  16,  1867,  a  society  of  Universalists  was  organized 
at  Bradford  and  took  the  name  of  the  First  Universalist  Church. 
Among  the  meml)ers  were  Bradford  S.  Foster,  William  ]M.  and  ]Mary 
E.  Pilgrim,  Alonzo  Abbott,  Lydia  K.  Abbott,  B.  F.  Thompson,  ^V. 
B.  Foster,  Francis  and  Nancy  Davis,  the  Curtisses,  the  Spinneys  and 
several  others  who  were  members  of  the  leading  families  in  that  part 
of  the  county.  Soon  after  the  organization  of  tlie  church  tlie  old 
schoolhouse  was  piu'chased  and  remodeled  for  a  house  of  worship,  and 
B.  F.  Thomjison,  Willard  B.  Foster  and  J.  O.  H.  Spinney  were 
elected  trustees.  The  last  board  of  trustees  of  which  any  record  can 
be  found  was  comjjosed  of  Silas  ]Moody,  ]Melvin  Gage  and  JMordecai 
Bevier. 

Tlie  Universalist  Church  of  Lafayette  was  organized  on  Novem- 
ber 29,  1873,  by  Rev.  John  Hughes.  Among  the  members  of  this 
society  were:  G.  H.  Redfield  and  wife,  Charles  B.  and  P.  H.  Smith, 
A.  M.  Snyder  and  wife.  Samuel  White  and  wife,  !Mrs.  T.  D.  Cliurch, 
]Mrs.  Sarah  Churcli,  ]Mrs.  A.  E.  Parker,  ]Mrs.  Ann  Dunl)ar  and  Julia 
Lake.  In  187.)  a  neat  frame  church  was  erected  at  the  northeast  cor- 
ner of  Lafayette  and  Hodgson  streets,  at  a  cost  of  $3,300.  and 
meetings  were  held  regularly  for  several  years,  wlien  reverses  came 
and  the  society  went  down. 

UNITED    BRETHREJf 

liike  the  Protestant  Episco])al  Cliurcli.  tliis  denomination  has 
never  been  very  strong  in  the  county.     In  18(17  the  "Pleasant  A'alley 


sr.  .lu||.\>   (  A'I'llnl.li     (  HI   IK  II.    |',l;AI)|n|;|> 


I 


LIBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 

mzmn 


I 
I 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUXTV  263 

Chuicli"  was  organized  in  the  southeastern  part  of  Essex  Township 
and  numbered  anion^y-  its  uienibers  the  Fautzes,  Springers,  Joneses, 
Colwells.  Eekleys,  Andrew,  Peter  and  George  Sheets  and  a  few  others. 
Tlie  ehureh  lot  and  cemetery  were  platted  in  August,  1873,  in  the 
northeast  quarter  of  section  32,  by  Edwin  Butler,  tlien  county  sur- 
veyor. Although  this  ehureh  has  fallen  off'  in  numbers  in  recent  years, 
meetings  are  still  held  occasionally. 

Another  United  Brethren  Church  was  established  at  Wyoming  in 
1872  and  continued  in  existence  for  about  ten  years.  Samuel  and 
Eorina  Farden,  Jesse  and  Cynthia  Redding,  the  Bogards.  Baldwin.s, 
Beavers,  Samuel  Bishoj).  Sanuiel  and  Lucretia  Redding.  Henry  Curf- 
man  and  wife  and  ^lalinda  O'Vanda  were  the  tirst  members.  The 
last  services  here  were  conducted  by  Rev.  J.  S.  Smith  on  October  28, 
1882.  The  church  building  was  sold  to  Thomas  Dugdale,  who  con- 
verted it  into  a  residence. 

THE    CATHOLICS 

Among  the  first  settlers  around  Bradford  were  a  few  Catholic 
families  and  some  years  after  the  town  was  laid  out  others  were  added 
to  the  pojjulation.  Priests  came  there  at  intervals  and  said  mass  in 
the  homes  of  some  of  the  believers,  and  early  in  the  "7()s  steps  were 
taken  to  organize  a  parish.  Among  the  leaders  in  the  movement  may 
be  mentioned  Owen  Sharkey,  ^Michael  Real,  John  Hickey,  Thomas 
Powers,  Edward  Ilarty  and  Walter  Ilennebury,  \\ho  were  appointed 
as  a  building  committee  in  187-5.  Then  there  were  the  Codes,  Gor- 
mans,  O'Briens,  ]Mahaneys.  ^Valshes,  Cooneys,  Caseys,  JNIcSherrys 
and  some  others  who  had  been  brought  up  in  the  Roman  Catholic  faith, 
and  \\ho  were  active  supporters  of  the  new  church,  which  was  given 
the  name  of  St.  John's  Parish. 

The  first  church  edifice  was  dedicated  on  January  8,  1870.  the 
priest  at  that  time  being  Father  O'Gara.  The  present  pastor,  Rev. 
P.  H.  IMcCarron,  came  to  the  j)arish  in  1893.  Under  his  ministrations 
a  magnificent  new  church  has  been  erected  at  a  cost  of  $.)0.000  and  the 
old  frame  building  has  l)een  converted  into  a  public  hall,  sometimes 
called  the  "Bradford  Opera  House."  In  October,  191.5,  the  parish 
numbered  115  families. 

St.  Dominic's  Catholic  Church,  at  Wyoming,  Avas  organized  in 
1880  and  the  chin-ch  building  was  dedicated  on  July  27,  1881.  Bishop  T 
Spalding  officiating.    It  is  located  in  the  northeastern  part  of  the  city, 
on  a  lot  that  was  donated  by  Dr.  Alfred  Castle.    John  Colgan,  John 
Seibold  and  INIichael  Colgan  were  the  building  committee  and  the 


■264  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

edifice  cost  about  thirty-five  hundred  dollars.  For  some  time  before 
the  parish  was  established  the  Catholic  families  were  visited  bj'  priests 
from  Peoria,  Lacon  and  other  convenient  points.  Father  iNIoynihan 
was  the  first  resident  priest.  In  191.5  the  parish  was  under  the  charge 
of  Father  JM.  A.  Humphreys. 

As  early  as  1840  the  Nowlans,  Drinnins  and  a  few  other  Catholic 
families  settled  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  pi'esent  City  of  Toulon 
and  priests  came  here  at  times  and  said  mass  in  the  homes.  About 
18G7  a  mission  was  established  at  Toulon  and  was  attended  by  priests 
from  Bradford,  Kewanee  and  other  places  for  several  years.  Rev, 
John  ]Moore  said  mass  in  the  Second  Baptist  Church  on  December  30, 
1877,  shortly  after  the  two  Baptist  congregations  had  agreed  to  con- 
solidate, and  the  following  March  the  building  formerly  occupied  by 
the  Second  Ba])tist  Church  was  sold  to  the  Catholics.  This  is  still  a 
mission  and  in  191.5  Avas  attended  by  Father  Richard  D.  O'Loughlin, 
of  Galva. 

MISCELLANEOUS 

About  the  close  of  the  war  some  of  the  citizens  of  Goshen  Town- 
ship imited  with  some  of  the  people  living  in  Henry  County  in 
building  a  Union  Church  at  Saxon.  Here  ministers  of  various  de- 
uon)inations  have  held  services.  The  Union  Church  was  dedicated  on 
August  31,  186.5. 

St.  Timothy's  German  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  at  Castleton 
was  organized  in  1878,  by  Rev.  F.  R.  Bess,  of  Peoria.  Here  the  Con- 
rads.  Dunkelmanns,  Brinkmanns,  \Vagners,  Bm-meisters,  Schwartzes, 
Zinunermans  and  other  German  families  of  Penn  Township  have 
since  worshiped  according  to  the  tenets  of  the  faith  in  which  they  were 
brought  up.  Rev.  Carl  Proehl  was  the  first  pastor  and  the  house  of 
Avorshij),  a  modest  frame,  was  dedicated  on  December  8,  1878. 

A  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  was  organized  at  Toulon 
in  ]March,  188.5,  with  nineteen  members.  Charles  II.  Christy  was  the 
first  ])resident  and  W.  F.  Nicholson  the  first  secretary.  The  associa- 
tion continued  for  some  time,  but  for  want  of  a  suitable  home  was 
finally  disbanded. 

The  Wyoming  Camp  ^Meeting  dissociation  was  formed  in  1883, 
although  camp  meetings  had  been  held  there  nearly  every  year  since 
1840.  The  second  camp  meeting  in  the  county  was  held  at  Lafayette 
in  1842,  as  previously  stated.  In  1883  James  :M.  Rogers,  B.  G.  Hall 
and  K.  J.  Edwards  Mere  appointed  an  executive  committee  for  the 
Wyoming  Camj)  ^Meeting  Association  and  made  several  needed  im- 


IIISTOKV  OF  STARK  COUNTY  265 

provenifiits  upon  the  camp  grouiul,  so  that  the  meetings  since  that 
time  have  I)een  l)etter  accommodated. 

The  Starlv  County  liible  Society  was  organized  in  18.5(>  with  Nor- 
man Hutler.  president;  C.  M.  Johnson,  vice  president;  T.  IJ.  Starrett, 
secretary;  Davis  Lowman,  treasurer;  Rev.  R.  C.  Dunn,  chairman  of 
the  executive  committee;  Samuel  ITalsted.  Benjamin  Packer  and 
Hopkins  Shivvers,  local  agents;  Mrs.  Norman  Butler  and  ^liss  Sarah 
iVi-mstrong,  collectors.  It  continued  in  existence  for  several  years 
and  was  influential  ill  placing  copies  of  the  Bible  in  the  homes  of 
several  families  throughout  the  county. 

The  Elmira  Bihle  Society  was  organized  on  June  "J-t,  18.37.  with 
John  Turnbull,  president;  W.  M.  Fuller  and  Joseph  Blanchard,  vice 
presidents;  M.  G.  Brace,  secretary;  Dr.  E.  M.  Boardman,  treasurer. 
Liberal  contributions  were  made  by  this  society  to  the  American  Bible 
Society  for  several  years,  in  fact  for  some  time  after  regular  meetings 
ceased. 

The  Stark  County  Sunday  School  Union  was  formed  in  1866  and 
held  its  first  meeting  in  James  Holgate's  grove  that  year.  Davis 
Uowman  was  the  first  president  and  W.  W.  Wright  the  first  secre- 
tary. INIeetings  or  conventions  have  been  held  annually  since  that 
time.  The  fiftieth  annual  convention  was  held  in  the  ^Methodist  Church 
at  Bradford  on  October  28-29,  1915.  At  that  time  the  officers  of  the 
union  were:  H.  D.  D.  ISIartin,  president;  George  C.  Strattan,  vice 
president;  ^Nlrs.  INI.  L.  Earhart,  secretary  and  treasurer. 

In  connection  with  several  of  the  Stark  County  churches  are  ladies' 
aid  societies,  auxiliary  missionary  circles,  etc.,  so  that  the  church  work 
is  carried  on  systematically  and  without  friction. 


Vol.  I- 


CHAPTER  XVI 
SOCIETIES  AND  FRATERNITIES 

MUTUAL  PEOTFXTION  SOCIETY ITS  AIJIS  AXD  OBJECTS AGRICULTURAL 

SOCIETIES    AXD    EAIR    ASSOCIATIONS OLD    SETTLERs'    ASSOCIATION 

THE     LOG     CABIN  OLD     SETTLERs'     MONUMENT LETTERS     FROM 

PIONEERS MASONIC   FRATERNITY — ORDER   OF  THE  EASTERN  STAR 

INDEPENDENT  ORDER  OF  ODD  FELLOWS — DAUGHTERS  OF  REBEKAH — 
GRAND  ARMY  OF  THE  REPUBLIC TEZMPERANCE  SOCIETIES MISCEL- 
LANEOUS SOCIETIES. 

One  of  the  earliest  Stark  County  societies  of  which  there  is  any 
record  was  tlie  Stark  County  JNIutual  Protection  Society.  In  early 
(lays  the  Illinois  Valley  was  infested  by  gangs  of  horse  thieves  and 
other  outlaws,  who  were  constantly  coniniitting  depredations  upon  the 
property  of  the  frontier  settlers.  The  legal  machinery  of  civil  gov- 
ernment was  in  its  infancj'  and  it  was  not  an  easy  matter  to  secure 
the  arrest  and  conviction  of  the  offenders  through  regular  channels, 
hence  in  a  few  cases  lynch  law  was  resorted  to  by  the  pioneers  to  break 
up  the  gangs  of  thieves  and  bring  law  and  order  to  the  community. 
There  is  no  record  of  a  lynching  ever  having  occurred  within  the  limits 
of  Stark  County,  but  the  settlers  suffered  losses  through  the  opera- 
tions of  the  DriscoU.  Brodie  and  Aikens  gangs,  the  leaders  of  which 
lived  in  the  northern  part  of  the  state  and  could  always  be  relied  upon 
to  furnish  an  alibi  when  one  of  the  gang  might  be  arrested. 

In  the  summer  of  1848,  after  the  county  had  been  organized  for 
more  than  nine  years  and  the  gangs  of  outlaws  were  still  operating 
through  this  part  of  the  state,  some  of  the  citizens  of  Stark  County 
began  to  discuss  the  advisability  of  organizing  for  the  purpose  of 
aiding  the  legal  authorities  in  putting  a  stop  to  the  depredations.  The 
result  of  the  agitation  was  that  a  meeting  was  called  at  the  courthouse 
in  Toulon  for  August  12,  1848,  at  which  the  Stark  Coimty  ]Mutual 
Pi'otection  Society  was  organized.  ^Myrtle  G.  Brace  was  elected 
president;  Hugh  Rhodes,  secretary;  and  ^Vheeler  B.  Sweet,  organizer. 
Committees  were  appointed  for  the  five  precincts  of  the  coimty  as 

266 


HISTORY  OF  STxVllK  COUNTY  267 

follows:  Massillou — Edward  Trickle,  Thomas  S.  Clark  and  iVllen 
Greenlee;  Toulon — William  Oyle,  George  Buchanan  and  Oliver 
Whitaker;  ^^\vonlin<4■ — Henry  IJutler,  Jose])!!  Newton  and  James 
Ilolgate;  Lafayette — William  Pratt,  M.  Atherton  and  .Jacob  Emery; 
Osceola — John  Lyle,  William  Dodd  and  Walter  Fvdler. 

It  may  be  of  interest  to  the  reader  to  know  just  who  belonged  to 
the  society.  Besides  the  officers  and  committees  above  named,  those 
who  em-olled  themselves  as  members  were:  Isaiah  Ackley,  II.  S. 
Aibiight,  Joseph  Atherton,  .1.  II.  Barnett,  .Josepli  Blauchard,  Wil- 
liam Bowen,  Henry  Brice,  A.  K.  Hutler,  Samuel  Ct.  Butler,  ^V.  II. 
Butler.  ^Villiam  Chamberlain,  .Joseph  Cox,  John  Dodd,  Lemuel  S. 
Dorrance,  Thomas  Dugan,  W.  K.  Klston,  Conrad  Emery,  David 
Emery,  .Jesse  Emery,  .Joseph  Emery,  Brady  Fowler,  W.  T.  Fuller, 
Christian  Gingrich,  Thomas  Hall,  William  Hall,  A.  W.  Harrod, 
J.  W.  Henderson,  Thomas  J.  Henderson,  Jacob  Holgate,  Henry  T. 
Ives,  William  Lyle,  Elijah  ]McClenahan,  William  ^Nloore,  Philip 
3Iunson,  Josej^h  K.  Newton,  Lewis  Perry,  .John  Pollok,  Peter  E. 
Pratt,  .John  Prior,  .John  Kichey,  Hugh  Rhodes,  W.  M.  Rose,  George 
Sheets,  ]\Iinott  Silliman,  Nathan  Snare,  Henry  Sturm,  ^lathias 
Sturm,  (xcorge  Sumner,  Jacob  Sumner.  W.  B.  Sweet,  Isaac  Thomas, 
Samuel  Thomas,  Henderson  Truman,  .John  Turnbull,  Ira  Ward, 
Hugh  White,  George  A.  ^Vorley  and  Sanuiel  G.  Wright. 

A  few  of  the  members  lived  in  Knox  and  Henry  counties,  but  in 
the  above  list  will  be  found  the  names  of  a  large  number  of  the  pioneer 
settlei-s  of  Stark  County  who  left  the  impress  of  their  character  upon 
local  institutions.  All  were  law-abiding  citizens  and  the  society  con- 
tinned  in  existence  until  the  reign  of  law  was  fully  established  and 
the  country  was  rid  of  the  desi^eradoes. 

AGRICULTURAL    SOCIETIES 

The  first  move  toward  organizing  an  agricultural  society  in  Stark 
County  was  made  in  the  fall  of  184.3,  when  a  number  of  farmers  met 
in  the  old  courthouse  at  Toulon  for  that  purpose.  .Jonathan  ]Miner 
was  called  to  the  chair  and  Henry  Butler  was  chosen  secretary.  The 
lattei-  delivered  an  address,  urging  the  necessity  for  and  importance 
of  such  a  society.  After  some  discussion  a  society  was  organized  Avith 
Col.  W.  H.  Henderson,  ])resident:  Lemuel  S.  Dorrance,  vice  presi- 
dent: Oliver  Whitaker,  secretary;  .JonathaiU  Hodgson,  treasurer; 
.James  Holgate,  Sylvanus  ]Moore  and  Cyril  Wai-d,  executive  com- 
mittee.   Committees  of  three  w^ere  chosen  in  each  of  the  precincts  of 


268  IIISTOKV  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

the  county,  but  tlie  society  never  did  any  active  work  for  the  promotion 
of  the  agricultural  interests,  such  as  holding  county  fairs,  etc. 

On  October  29,  1853,  the  society  was  reorganized,  or  it  might  be 
more  proper  to  say  a  new  one  was  organized  to  take  its  place,  although 
quite  a  number  of  the  members  of  the  old  society  retained  their  mem- 
bership under  the  reorganization.     The  first  fair  was  held  at  Toulon, 
beginning  on  September  20,  1854.     Concerning  this  fair  Mrs.  Shal- 
lenberger  says:     "Some  still  remember  that  first  fair  in  1854-,  \\hen 
the  stock  was  quartered  in  JNIr.  ^Vhitaker's  yard  and  exhibited  in  the 
public  square,  while  the  products  of  the  dairy,  kitchen  and  loom  were 
disposed  of  within  the  old  courthouse,  the  table  containing  a  few  fancy 
articles  which  a  gentleman  lifted  up,  one  by  one,  that  they  might  be 
seen  by  the  assemblage.     *     *     *     But  in  one  respect,  at  least,  tliis 
little  fair  of  1854  was  a  prototype  of  all  its  successors,  viz:  disap- 
jwinted  competitors  for  premiums  felt  at  liberty  to  vent  their  chagrin 
on  or  at  the  judges  of  the  various  departments,  whom  they  thought 
had  been  instrumental  in  wounding  their  vanit>-.     The  writer  recalls 
that  she  was  unfortunately  a  judge  of  dairy  products  on  this  occasion, 
and  being  concerned  in  awarding  the  first  premium  ever  awarded  in 
Stark  County  for  butter,  to  IMrs.  Ann  Hartley,  was  soundly  berated 
before  leaving  the  house  by  another  competitor,  who  infoi-med  the 
judges  one  and  all  that  'they  couldn't  know  good  ])utter  when  they 
saw  it;'  but  they  still  think  they  did." 

On  June  3,  185G,  the  society  petitioned  the  board  of  supervisors 
to  lease  seven  acres  of  land  in  the  southwest  corner  of  the  poor  farm 
I'or  a  fair  ground,  with  the  right  to  make  such  impro\ements  as  might 
be  necessary  for  holding  fairs  successfully.  The  petition  was  granted 
and  the  board  of  supervisors  leased  the  seven  acres  to  the  society  for  a 
term  of  twenty-five  years,  at  a  rental  of  1  cent  annually.  Five  addi- 
tional acres  were  leased  to  the  society  on  December  12,  1859.  Fairs 
were  held  here  until  1808,  when  the  society  decided  to  incorporate  and 
])urchase  the  fair  grounds.  The  supervisors'  minutes  for  October  IG, 
1868,  contain  the  following  entry: 

"At  a  meeting  held  at  the  courthouse  in  the  Town  of  Toulon,  in 
the  County  of  Stark  and  the  State  of  Illinois,  on  the  10th  day  of 
October,  A.  D.  1868,  for  the  purpose  of  incorporating  the  Stark 
County  Agricultural  Society,  due  notice  whereof  had  been  previously 
given,  P.  M.  Blair.  J.  H.  Quinn,  P.  Nowlan,  John  Turnbull.  D.  Tin- 
lin,  James  Frail,  Davis  Lowman,  William  Nowlan,  William  Low- 
man,  B.  H.  Bush,  Benjamin  B.  Brown,  I.  W.  Searle.  Liberty  Stone, 
S.  P.  Fast.  Benjamin  Boughn,  xVndrew  Oliver,  G.  \V.  Dewey,  John 


1 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  269 

Ilepijerl}',  C.  M.  S.  Lyon,  H.  M.  Hall,  James  Shivvcrs,  Perry  ^Vill^, 
J.  M.  Rrown,  R.  J.  Uickinson,  John  W.  Rii4;i>s.  Rol)ert  McKeighan, 
Charles  Myers,  Xathan  Lankford,  and  James  Holgate,  legal  voters 
of  said  county,  being  present,  it  was  inianimously  resolved  that  the 
above  named  persons  be  and  are  organized  into  a  society  to  be  known 
as  the  'Stark  County  Agricultural  Society,'  and  upon  the  adoption  of 
a  constitution  and  by-laws  for  said  societ}',  Oliver  ^Vhitaker  was 
chosen  president;  Patrick  Xowlan.  recording  secretaiv.  and  William 
Lownian,  treasurer  of  said  society." 

Soon  after  the  incoriJoration.  the  society  purchased  the  twelve 
acres  leased  iinm  the  county  some  years  before,  and  a  little  later  ])ur- 
cliased  three  acres  adjoim'ng.  Fairs  were  held  annually  upon  these 
grounds  until  about  1888,  when  the  society  decided  to  disband.  A 
portion  of  the  fair  grounds  was  sold  in  1889  to  JNliles  A.  Fuller,  who 
bought  another  section  in  1891,  and  in  189.'}  the  remaining  portion 
was  sold  to  Burge  &  Dewey. 

In  the  winter  of  187''}-74  some  of  the  citizens  of  Wyoming  made 
an  effort  to  have  the  Stark  County  Agricultural  Society  remove  its 
fail's  to  that  town.  James  Holgate,  F.  F.  Brockway,  ^V.  F.  Thomas, 
Alfred  Castle,  Perry  StanclifF,  Isaac  and  Sanniel  Thomas  agreed  to 
remove  the  lumber  from  Toulon  to  Wyoming  free  of  charge,  and 
W'intield  Scott  guaranteed  the  payment  of  $800  for  the  purpose  of 
fencing  and  improving  new  fair  grounds.  On  the  other  hand  B.  C. 
Follett.  Doctor  Bacmeister  and  J.  D.  Rhodes,  of  Toulon,  tendered 
the  society  the  free  use  of  five  acres  adjoining  the  fair  grounds  on  the 
east,  on  condition  that  the  fairs  should  be  held  at  Toulon  for  ten  years. 
On  .January  '24;  1874,  the  ])ropositions  were  taken  under  consideration 
by  the  society  and  the  vote  to  remain  at  Toulon  was  seven  to  six, 
Wyoming  losing  by  one  vote. 

The  people  of  Wyonn'ng  were  not  altogether  satisfied  to  remain 
without  a  fair,  and  on  October  2'.i.  1878,  a  meeting  was  called  to  con- 
sider the  question  of  organizing  the  "Central  Agrieult\n-al  Society  of 
Stark  County."  A.  G.  Hammond  ])resided  and  F.  B.  Wall  acted  as 
secretary.  A  committee  was  ajjpointed  to  solicit  subscriptions  to  a 
ca])ital  stock,  but  nothing  definite  was  accomplished  for  al)ont  two 
years. 

Another  meeting  w-as  held  on  February  5,  1881,  at  which  a  con- 
stitution was  adopted,  signed  by  Benjamin  Bunnell,  George  W.  and 
Winfield  Scott.  T.  B.  Wall.  .Tames  :M.  Thomas.  Samuel  Wi-igley, 
.Tohn  S|)eer.  .lames  ^NIcKean.  .John  ^Nlonier  and  A.  G.  Hammond. 
A\'infiel(l  Scott  was  chosen  president;  Samuel  Wrigley,  vice  president; 


270  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

J.  ]M.  Thomas,  recording  secretary;  T.  E.  Wall,  general  secretary; 
G.  W.  Scott,  treasurer.  In  April,  1881,  the  new  society  purchased 
39^  acres  of  ground  from  INIrs.  M.  A.  ^larkham  and  the  work  of 
improving  was  commenced.  The  first  fair  was  held  here  beginnin.g  on 
September  G,  1881.  and  lasting  four  days,  $4., 000  being  paid  in 
premimns. 

Doubtless  the  competition  offered  by  the  Wyoming  fair  had  its 
influence  upon  the  old  Stark  County  Agricultural  Society  and  has- 
tened its  downfall,  but  there  were  other  influences  at  work  in  that 
direction.  Xot  the  least  of  these  was  the  fact  that  the  society  had 
incurred  some  indebtedness  that  it  found  diflieult  to  liquidate  and 
Anally  decided  that  the  best  way  out  was  to  sell  the  property. 

In  1913  the  officers  of  the  Central  Agricultural  Society,  or  Wyo- 
ming Fair  Association,  as  it  is  conmionly  called,  were  as  follows: 
W.  II.  Wrigley,  jiresident;  John  P.  Code,  vice  president;  E.  Argan- 
bright, secretary;  J.  E.  King,  treasurer.  The  board  of  directors  was 
then  constituted  of  the  above  oflficers  and  W.  H.  Hartz,  Orpheus 
Bailey,  D.  J.  Colgan  and  J.  J.  ]Moran,  of  Wyoming,  and  E.  C. 
Caverly,  of  Toulon. 

The  Lafayette  Horse  and  Fair  Association  held  its  tenth  annual 
fair  on  August  31,  September  1,  2  and  3,  191.5.  The  fair  gi-ounds 
include  sixty-five  acres  a  short  distance  west  of  the  town,  located  in  a 
natural  park  that  is  conceded  to  be  one  of  the  prettiest  groves  in  the 
state.  The  groimds  are  equipped  with  modern  horse  and  cattle  barns, 
a  good  half-mile  race  track,  etc.  The  farmers  of  three  counties — 
Knox,  Stark  and  Henry — are  interested  in  this  fair  association  and 
have  cooperated  to  make  the  exhibits  here  as  good  as  any  county  fair 
in  the  State  of  Illinois.  In  191.5  A.  H.  Jackson  Avas  president:  F.  E. 
Winans,  vice  president;  F.  T.  Gelvin,  secretary  and  treasui'er.  The 
directors  were:  J.  G.  Reed.  F.  F.  Quinn,  A.  31.  .lanes  and  Arthur 
Baltimore,  of  Lafayette;  ]M  B.  Downend  and  E.  L.  Packer,  of  Tou- 
lon: \y.  I.  Sellon.  Vvilliam  Reals  and  Will  Cardiff,  of  Galva. 

OLD  settlers'  associatiox 

Although  the  pioneers  in  a  new  settlement  on  the  frontier  of 
civilization  may  come  from  widely  different  sections  of  the  country, 
or  even  from  foreign  climes;  may  speak  different  languages  and  wor- 
shi])  at  different  shrines;  may  hold  o])posing  views  on  ]5olitical  ques- 
tions, they  soon  learn  that  they  are  dependent  upon  each  other  to  a 
great  extent  and  coojjerate  for  the  general  good.     They  borrow  and 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COIXTY  271 

k'lul  freely,  attend  each  other  in  times  of  sickness,  share  their  good 
fortune  in  times  of  prosperity  and  sympathize  with  each  other  iti  ad- 
versity. The  fraternal  relations  thus  established  become  hallowed  by 
fond  memories  as  the  years  pass  by  and  another  <>eneration  comes  upon 
the  scene.  It  is  l)ut  natural,  and  it  is  well  that  such  is  the  case,  for 
these  old  settlers  to  enjoj-  meeting  together  and  talking  over  the  inci- 
dents of  former  years.  Through  this  spirit  old  settlers'  associations 
liave  been  organized  in  numerous  places  throughout  the  great  JMidtlle 
West,  and  through  these  associations  have  been  jjreserved  many  in- 
teresting facts  regarding  local  events — facts  that  otherwise  would 
iiave  been  lost  to  history. 

The  first  attem])t  to  organize  an  old  settlers'  association  in  Stark 
County  was  made  on  January  '1,  18GG,  when  a  meeting  was  held  at  the 
Town  of  Toulon  for  that  purpose.  Dr.  Thomas  Hall  was  chosen  to 
l)i-eside  and  Oliver  ^^^litaker  was  elected  secretary.  T.  J.  Hender- 
son. C.  L.  Eastman  and  C.  M.  S.  Lyon  were  a])pointed  a  committee 
to  make  arrangements  for  another  meeting,  to  be  held  on  April  4, 
18<i().  and  a  committee,  consisting  of  one  member  from  each  townshij), 
was  chosen  to  prepare  a  list  of  all  persons  residing  in  the  county  on 
April  4.  1839,  when  the  county  commissioners  met  for  the  first  time. 
That  committee  Mas  composed  as  follows:  JNI.  G.  Brace,  Ehnira 
Township;  W.  II.  Rutler.  Essex;  Eewis  Perry,  Goshen;  W.  W. 
Winslow,  Osceola;  James  Holgate,  Penn;  C.  L.  Eastman,  Toulon; 
Harry  Hull.  A'alley;  Washington  Trickle.  West  Jersey.  The  com- 
nn'ttee.  or  at  least  some  of  the  members  thereof,  performed  its  duty, 
but  if  a  meeting  was  held  in  April  following  no  record  of  it  can  be 
i'oniid. 

On  December  13,  1878,  over  one  hundred  old  settlers  assembled 
at  the  Toulon  House,  where  a  sumptuous  dinner  was  served,  after 
which  they  marched  through  a  severe  snow  storm  to  the  town  hall  to 
consider  the  question  of  an  old  settlers'  society  of  some  character. 
After  the  meeting  was  called  to  order  by  Benjamin  Turner,  Oliver 
Whitaker  was  chosen  chairman  and  E.  H.  Phelps,  secretary.  INIinott 
Silliman.  Benjamin  Turner  and  James  Holgate  were  ap])ointed  a 
committee  on  resolutions.  They  reported  in  favor  of  organizing  the 
"Stark  County  Old  Settlei-s'  Association,"  and  suggested  that  oidy 
those  should  be  eligible  to  membership  who  had  resided  for  twenty-five 
yea  is  or  more  in  the  comity.  The  report  was  adopted  and  the  asso- 
ciation was  then  organized  by  the  election  of  the  following  officers: 
Oliver  Whitaker,  president;  W.  II.  Butler,  secretary;  Benjamin 
Tinner,  treasurer;  Edwin  Butler,  E.  H.  Phelps  and  Dr.  W.  T.  Hall, 


272  HISTOKY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

executive  committee.  ^V  motion  was  tlieii  carried  to  hold  the  first 
annual  meeting  at  the  courthouse  on  Sei^tember  1,  1879. 

After  the  business  in  hand  was  disposed  of  the  meeting  was  turned 
into  a  sort  of  informal  social  gathering.  Charles  ^Nlyers  acted  as  toast 
master.  Elder  Keane  spoke  on  the  "Pioneer  ^Ministry;"  Xorman 
Butler  on  "Our  Earliest  Settlers;"  JNIartin  Shallenberger  on  "The 
Stark  County  Bar;"  E.  II.  Phelps  on  "The  Press;"  B.  F.  Thompson 
on  "Education,"  and  Ur.  W.  T.  Hall  on  "The  Physician."  The 
meeting  closed  with  a  vote  of  thanks  to  ]Mr.  Stockner.  proprietor  of 
the  hotel,  for  his  kindness  in  opening  his  house  to  the  old  settlers  and 
the  excellent  dinner  he  had  preinired. 

Subsequently  a  vice  president  was  elected  for  each  township,  to- 
wit:  Elmira,  M.  B.  Parks;  Essex,  Jefferson  Trickle;  Goshen,  D.  J. 
Hurd;  Osceola,  W.  W.  Winslow;  Penn,  James  Holgate;  Toulon, 
Brady  Fowler;  Valley,  Edward  Colgan;  West  Jersey,  Levi  Eckley. 

Although  the  date  of  September  1,  1879,  was  fixed  for  the  first 
annual  meeting,  it  was  not  held  until  the  3d,  when  fully  one  thousand 
people  gathered  in  the  public  square  at  Toulon  to  attend  the  first  old 
settlers'  picnic  ever  held  in  Stark  County.  After  music  by  the  Toulon 
band,  prayer  by  Rev.  J.  ]M.  Stickney,  and  the  song  "We've  Come 
Home  Again,"  by  the  Toulon  Glee  Club,  JNIartin  Shallenberger  de- 
livered the  address  of  welcome.  This  was  responded  to  by  Gen.  T.  J. 
Henderson,  who  made  the  j^rincipal  speech  of  the  occasion.  In  the 
business  meeting  the  president,  secretary  and  treasurer  were 
reelected  for  another  year,  and  Orlando  Brace,  Henry  Perry  and 
Levi  Silliman  were  elected  members  of  the  executive  committee. 
On  motion  of  B.  F.  Thompson,  it  was  decided  to  erect  a  monument 
to  Dr.  Thomas  Hall  and  a  committee  was  appointed  to  solicit  sub- 
scrijitions.  The  old  settlers  responded  liberally  and  a  handsome 
monument  was  placed  over  Doctor  Hall's  resting  place  in  the  Toulon 
Cemetery  as  a  tribute  of  respect  from  his  old  friends  and  neighbors. 

A  good  sized  volume  might  be  written  on  the  doings  of  tiie  Old 
Settlers'  Association  at  its  annual  meetings  since  it  was  organized  in 
1878,  but  there  are  two  of  these  annual  meetings  that  stand  out  with 
more  prominence  than  others.  One  was  the  meeting  of  1898.  when 
the  log  cabin  on  the  public  square  was  raised  as  a  memorial  to  the 
county's  pioneers.  By  previous  arrangement  a  number  of  the  pioneer 
families  each  contributed  a  log  and  on  the  ap])ointed  day  here  came 
the  Olivers,  Turnbulls,  Turners,  Holgates,  Vandykes,  Whitakers, 
Halls,  Hendersons,  Thomases,  Sheetses,  Nowlans,  ]McClenahans, 
Winslows.  Winns  and  other  old  time  families,  each  bringing  a  log. 


1 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUXTV  273 

JNIadison  Winn  was  inastLi-  of  ceremonies  and  the  cabin  was  "j-aised" 
with  all  the  customs  of  pioneer  days.  The  meetin<)-  of  that  year  was 
held  on  August  '2.'Ah.  and  after  the  cabin  was  raised  it  was  formally 
dedicated  by  Cien.  T.  J.  Henderson  in  an  address,  the  closing  para- 
graphs of  which  were  as  follows: 

"This  log  cabin,  representing  as  it  does  the  primitive  homes  of 
early  settlers  of  Stark  County,  has  been  erected  here  in  this  place 
under  the  authority  of  the  board  of  supervisors  of  this  county  as  a 
memorial  of  the  men  and  women  who  were  the  first  settlers,  the 
pioneers  of  the  county,  ami  I  am  here,  upon  the  invitation  of  your 
association,  to  dedicate  it  to  their  memory. 

"The  first  house  of  the  first  white  settler  in  this  county  was  a  log 
cabin,  and  the  homes  of  all  the  pioneers  who  followed  for  many  years 
were  log  cabins.  The  first  schoolhouse  built  was  a  log  schoolhouse. 
The  first  marriage  celebrated  in  this  county  was  solemnized  in  a  log 
cabin.  The  first  wliite  child  born  in  this  county  was  born  in  a  log 
cabin,  and  the  first  courts  held  in  this  county  were  held  in  a  log  cabin 
built  by  my  father,  and  which  was  a  part  of  our  home  for  many  years. 
It  was  therefore  a  fit  and  proper  thing  to. do,  JNIr.  President,  to  erect 
here,  in  this  public  place,  a  log  cabin  representing  the  early  homes 
of  our  fathers,  in  memory  of  their  settlement  of  the  county.  And  I 
esteem  it  not  oidy  a  privilege,  but  a  great  honor,  now  to  dedicate 
this  building  to  the  memory  of  the  jnoneers  of  the  county,  whose  names 
I  have  mentioned  in  my  address,  as  well  as  to  those  I  have  omitted 
through  forgetfulness. 

"Long  may  this  cabin  endure,  to  perpetuate  the  memory  of  the 
early  settlers  of  Stark  County." 

Within  the  cabin  are  stored  a  number  of  relics  of  early  days.  I  lere 
one  may  see  the  old-fashioned  spinning  Avheel,  the  old  brass  candle- 
stick and  "snuffers."  tlie  huge  fireplace  with  its  heavy  andirons,  the 
straight-backed  chair  with  its  splint  bottom,  the  cooking  utensils  and 
many  other  things  used  by  the  first  settlers  of  Stark  County.  A  list 
of  the  settlers  to  whom  this  cabin  is  dedicated  is  given  in  Chapter  V 
of  this  work. 

The  other  meeting  of  more  than  unusual  interest  was  that  of  1912, 
when  the  old  settlers'  monument  w'as  dedicated,  P.  G.  Rennick,  of 
Peoria,  delivering  the  address.  The  movement  to  erect  a  monument 
to  the  county's  pioneers  was  inaugin-ated  the  year  before.  Twelve 
hundred  dollars  were  raised  by  ])o])ular  suliscription  and  the  board  of 
supervisors  approjn-iated  $300.  W'ltix  the  •'{^K.'jOO  thus  provided  a 
handsome  monument  of  granite  was  placed  on  the  west  side  of  the 


274  HISTORY  OF  STAKK  COUNTY 

]\Iain  Street  entrance  to  the  public  sfiiiare.  On  the  north  side,  facing 
JNIain  Street,  is  the  inscription:  "In  INIemory  of  the  Pioneers  of 
Stark  County,"  and  al)ove  the  inscription  is  a  kettle  suspended  from 
an  iron  crane,  such  as  were  used  in  the  firL'i)laces  of  the  pioneer  cabins. 
The  west  side  bears  the  inscription:  "In  ^Memory  of  Stephen  A. 
Douglas,  who  spoke  here  October  5,  18.58;"  the  east  side  is  inscribed: 
"In  Memorj^  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  who  sj^oke  here  October  6,  18.)8," 
and  on  the  south  is  the  simple  statement:  "Dedicated  August  28, 
1912." 

At  nearly  every  meeting  of  the  Old  Settlers'  Association  letters 
from  former  residents  of  the  county  have  been  read,  expressing  regret 
that  the  writers  were  unable  to  be  present  and  frequently  referring  to 
events  of  former  years.  Sometimes  a  letter  from  some  old  resident, 
who  had  moved  away,  would  be  published  in  some  of  the  Stark  County 
papers.  A  letter  of  this  character  was  written  from  Casper, 
Wyo.,  by  Percy  H.  Shallenberger  and  published  in  the  Stark  County 
Sentinel  of  JNIarch  7,  1900,  a  short  time  after  his  mother's  death.  In 
that  letter  he  says : 

"I  feel  it  to  be  a  sad  duty  which  I  owe  to  my  poor  mother  to  make 
known  to  her  old  friends  about  Toulon  how  fondly  she  had  cherished 
the  hope  of  seeing  them  just  once  again;  to  breathe  once  more  the 
fragrance  of  those  friendships  which  had  bloomed  in  the  summer  of  her 
heart.  To  every  friend  who  kindly  came  to  cheer  her  here  she  told 
the  story  of  her  jirecious  anticipations.  How  her  dear  old  face  would 
brighten  as  she  told  to  strangers  in  this  distant  land  how  she  hoped  to 
spend  her  seventieth  birthday  in  old  Toulon  and  be  pi-esent  at  the  old 
settlers'  meeting.  As  day  by  day  her  little  strength  went  from  her,  she 
sat  a  silent  watcher  by  the  bedside  of  this  dying  hope.  One  of  her  first 
questions  to  the  doctor  when  she  reached  Hastings  was  as  to  whether 
he  thiOught  she  would  live  to  go  back  to  Illinois  in  the  spring.  He 
kindly  told  her  that  he  thought  she  would. 

"She  wanted  to  go  again  to  Osceola  Grove,  to  find  the  site  of  the 
old  Henderson  cabin,  where  she  had  learned  to  know  a  noble  woman 
and  her  family,  to  look  again  on  the  old  Major  ]\IcClenahan  house, 
and  to  ^\alk  once  more  into  the  old  office  which  her  father  built. 

"The  last  time  she  ever  went  to  church,  she  said  on  returning  that 
they  had  sung  some  old  hymns  which  alone  rejiaid  her  for  the  effort 
(which  was  no  small  one)  of  going.  She  loved  to  repeat  those  which 
reminded  her  of  other  days.  One  had  been  sung  at  the  first  funeral  in 
Osceola  Grove:  another  had  been  used  at  the  first  Christmas  service 
ever  held  in  Toulon,  when  old  John  Prior  led  the  singing  and  Brother 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  ^75 

AVoolIascraft  preached;  one  had  been  a  favorite  with  Caleb  Flint,  and 
another  sung  by  Mrs.  Whitaker  at  the  old  tcniperanee  meetings.  .  .  . 
One  line  ujjon  my  mother's  tomb  should  read:  'She  loved  Stark 
County  and  its  pioneers.'  " 

:Mrs.  Shallenberger  was  the  daughter  of  Dr.  Thomas  Hall  and 
the  author  of  the  little  l)ook.  "Stark  County  and  Its  Pioneers."  The 
letter  written  by  her  son  is  illustrative  of  how  i)ersons  and  places  with 
which  one  has  long  been  associated  may  become  endeared  to  memory. 

The  last  meeting  of  the  Old  Settlers'  Association  was  held  on  the 
public  square  at  Toulon,  September  8,  191o.  A.  C.  Shallenberger,  a 
native  of  Stark  County  and  former  governor  of  Nebraska,  and  Con- 
gressman C.  U.  Stone  were  among  the  speakers.  For  many  years  it 
has  been  the  custom  for  the  ladies  of  the  leading  churches  to  serve 
dinner  on  the  public  s(iuare  on  the  day  of  the  old  settlers'  meeting.  In 
191.J  the  dinner  was  served  by  the  ladies  of  the  Rajitist  Church. 
Dr.  W.  T.  Hall  was  elected  president  of  the  association  and  Klmer 
S.  Rutfmn,  secretary. 

MASONIC  TRATERNITY 

It  is  generally  conceded  that  of  all  the  secret  orders,  INIasom-y 
.stands  first  in  point  of  seniority.  A  tradition  of  the  order  says  it  was 
introduced  into  England  by  Prince  Edwin,  about  <.)-2()  A.  D.,  and  there 
are  still  in  existence  JNIasonic  documents  dated  back  to  1390.  ^Mother 
Kilwinning  Lodge  of  Scotland  was  organized  in  1.599  and  has  been 
in  continuous  existence  since  that  time,  being  the  oldest  known  lodge 
of  :Masons  in  the  world.  In  June,  1717.  the  Cirand  Lodge  of  England 
was  instituted  and  it  is  the  mother  of  all  ^Masonic  bodies  in  the  Englisb- 
s])eaking  nations. 

In  1730  the  English  Grand  Lodge  appointed  Daniel  Coxe,  of 
New  Jersey,  "pro\  incial  grand  master  of  the  provinces  of  New  York, 
New  Jersey  and  I'ennsylvania  in  ^Vmerica."  About  the  same  time  a 
provincial  grand  master  was  apjwinted  for  the  Ne\v  England  colonies. 
Before  the  close  of  that  year  a  lodge  was  estal)lished  at  Phila(lel])hia 
and  one  in  New  Hampshire,  each  of  whicji  claims  to  be  the  oldest 
lodge  in  what  is  now  the  United  States. 

The  first  ^Masonic  meeting  in  Stark  County,  of  which  there  is  any 
record,  was  liehl  at  Toulon  on  INIarch  2.5,  1850,  when  several  members 
of  the  fraternity  assembled  and  took  the  prelinn'nary  steps  toward 
the  organization  of  a  lodge.  On  October  20.  18.)(),  the  lodge  received 
its  charter  as  "Toulon  Lodge  No.  9.'3,  Ancient  Free  and  Acce])ted 
INIasons."     Says  Mrs.  Shallenberger:     "The  names  upon  the  charter 


276  HISTORV  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

are:  Orcn  31axtiel(l,  ^Villiam  Kose,  W.  W.  Dnmiinoiid.  KUisoii 
Annis,  Cajit.  Henry  Butler,  \Villiam  A.  Heed  and  Cien.  Samuel 
Tlioinas.  From  these  the  grand  master,  C.  G.  Y.  Taylor,  appointed 
W.  ^V^  Drnmniond  worshij)fnl  master,  William  Rose,  senior  warden, 
and  Oren  ]Maxtield,  junior  warden. 

To  complete  the  complement  of  officers,  an  election  was  held  on 
November  19,  18.50,  when  Thomas  J.  Henderson  was  chosen  secre- 
tary; William  F.  Thomas,  treasurer;  William  A.  Reed,  senior  deacon; 
Samuel  Tliomas,  junior  deacon;  Simon  S.  Heller  and  Thomas  J. 
AN'right,  stewards,  and  C.  F.  White,  tiler. 

For  many  years  Toulon  Lodge  Avas  the  only  JNIasonic  organization 
between  Peoria  and  Cambridge.  It  is  the  parent  of  the  lodges  at 
Bradford,  Lafayette  and  Wyoming.  Notwithstanding  the  numerous 
withdrawals  to  form  these  lodges,  No.  93  still  has  over  one  hundred 
members  and  is  in  a  prosperous  condition.  In  191.5  ISIelvin  C.  Pratt 
\vas  worshipful  master  and  Walter  F.  Young  was  secretary.  This 
lodge  once  owned  its  own  hall,  located  on  the  north  side  of  ]Main  Street, 
near  the  northwest  corner  of  the  public  square,  but  the  building,  with 
all  its  contents,  including  the  charter  and  records  of  the  lodge,  was 
destroyed  by  fire  on  jMay  17,  1877. 

Lawn  Ridge  Lodge  No.  41.5  was  organized  at  Lawn  Ridge,  a  little 
village  in  the  extreme  southwest  corner  of  jNIarshall  Countv,  about  the 
close  of  the  Civil  war.  When  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railroad 
was  built  through  the  eastern  part  of  Stark  County  and  the  Town  of 
Speer  was  established,  a  majority  of  the  members  of  the  lodge  voted 
to  remove  to  the  new  town  on  the  railroad,  but  the  name  of  the  lodge 
was  not  changed.  Lawn  Ridge  Lodge  now  has  about  fifty  members, 
a  good  hall  and  is  gradually  increasing  in  membership  and  influence. 

Some  time  in  the  winter  of  186.5-66  a  few  members  of  the  IMasonic 
fraternity  living  at  ^Vyoming  began  to  discuss  the  question  of  organ- 
izing a  lodge.  Informal  meetings  were  held,  but  no  one  could  be  found 
Avho  felt  "suitable  proficiency"  to  do  the  work  of  worshipful  mastei- 
and  file  subject  was  dropped  for  the  time.  Rev.  John  W.  Agard. 
who  had  formerly  lived  in  Wyoming,  returned  about  this  time,  and  in 
him  the  oNIasons  found  a  man  who  could  "do  the  work."'  A  petition, 
sio-ned  l)v  Mr.  Agard.  Heiu-v  A.  Hoist.  Isaac  Thomas.  W.  F.  Thomas. 
T.  W.  Bloomer.  S.  K.  Conover,  G.  W.  Scott  and  J.  II.  Cox,  m  as  sent 
to  the  grand  master  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Illinois,  asking  for  a  dis- 
pensation to  organize  a  lodge. 

The  dispensation  Avas  granted  and  on  February  28.  1806.  the  first 
meeting  of  the  lodge  at  Wyoming  was  convened,  with  .Toh.n  W.  Agard. 


HISTORY  OF  STxVKK  COUNTY  277 

wtJi-shipful  master;  W.  F.  Thomas,  senior  warden;  George  W.  Scott, 
junior  warden;  Henry  A.  Hoist,  secretary;  S.  K.  Conover,  senior 
deacon:  Thomas  \V.  Bloomer,  junior  deacon:  William  N.  Brown, 
tiler. 

On  October  3,  18(5(5,  the  Illinois  Grand  Lodge  granted  a  charter 
to  tliis  lodge,  under  the  title  and  designation  of  "Wyoming  Lodge 
No.  4.79,  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons."  The  first  place  of 
meeting  was  over  Hoist's  drug  store.  From  there  it  removed  to  a  hall 
in  the  Thomas  buihling,  next  to  a  building  on  the  corner  of  Seventh 
and  William  streets,  which  was  erected  by  John  W.  Agard  principally 
for  a  Masonic  hall.  In  January,  1882,  the  lodge  again  moved  its 
quarters,  this  time  to  a  hall  over  Hammond  &  Walters'  store.  The 
membership  in  191.3  was  1"2.5,  with  F.  K.  Wickwire,  worshipful  master, 
and  G.  F.  Earhart,  secretary.  Ilegular  meetings  are  held  on  the 
second  Thursday  of  each  month. 

Stark  Lodge  No.  501,  located  at  Lafayette,  was  organized  early 
in  the  year  18()()  and  was  granted  a  charter  the  following  October. 
^^^  B.  Smith  was  the  first  worshipful  master;  Ur.  Joseph  H.  Nichols, 
senior  warden;  Austin  Smith,  junior  warden.  These  three  officers 
and  the  following  constituted  the  charter  members:  J.  S.  xVtherton, 
Isaac  (irant,  II.  P.  Grant,  E.  G.  Hill,  J.  M.  Jones,  ^Villiam  T.  Dick- 
inson. E.  J.  ^NlcClenahan,  G.  II.  ^IcClenahan,  Thomas  W.  Ross  and 
John  B.  Smith.  On  Ai)ril  26,  1881,  the  lodge  room,  records,  furniture 
and  charter  were  destroyed  by  fire,  and  in  oNIay  a  copy  of  the  original 
charter  was  issued  by  tlie  Illinois  Grand  I^odge.  Stark  Lodge  now  lias 
about  forty  members.  The  worshipful  master  for  1915  was  Howard 
Pierce,  and  tlie  secretary  was  J.  H.  White.  Regular  meetings  are 
on  Saturday  evening  "on  or  before  the  full  moon." 

On  the  evening  of  August  1(5.  18(;(),  the  first  meeting  of  the 
INlasonic  I^odge  at  Bradford  was  lield  "under  dispensation,"  with 
James  B.  Doyle,  woi-shipful  master;  B.  F.  Thomi)st)n,  senior  warden; 
Harmon  Phenix,  junior  warden.  Later  in  the  same  year  a  charter 
was  granted  by  the  Illinois  Grand  I^odge  to  "Bradford  Lodge 
No.  514,  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  jNIasons."  The  master  and  war- 
dens appointed  under  the  dis])ensation  continued  to  serve  until  the 
time  for  the  first  regular  election  according  to  ^Masonic  usage,  and 
the  other  officers  under  the  charter  were  as  follows:  S.  A.  Davidson, 
secretary;  George  W.  Longmire,  treasurer;  William  H.  Doyle,  senior 
deacon:  Charles  B.  Foster,  jimior  deacon;  .lohn  Winslow.  tiler.  In 
1915  this  lodge  mnnbered  about  fifty  members,  with  Dr.  ^V.  C'. 
Mitchell,  worshipful  master,  and  Thaddeus  Ash,  secretary. 


278  IIISTORV  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

Wyoming  Chapter  Xo.  133,  Royal  Arch  ^Masons,  was  first  organ- 
ized hi  1806,  but  no  cliarter  was  obtained  until  October  9,  18G8.  The 
first  officers  of  the  chapter  were:  John  W .  Agard,  high  jjriest;  \Vil- 
liam  Lownian,  king;  J.  jNI.  Rogers,  principal  sojourner;  Charles  Wes- 
ton. ca])tain  of  the  host;  M.  S.  Curtiss,  royal  arch  captain;  ^Vlvin 
Abbott,  master  of  the  first  veil;  S.  A.  Davis,  master  of  the  second 
veil;  Charles  Kerr,  master  of  the  third  veil;  George  W.  Scott,  scribe. 
On  October  1,  1915,  the  chapter  numbered  over  one  hundred  members, 
with  H.  C.  Cox,  high  priest,  and  Albert  W.  King,  secretary.  This  is 
the  only  Royal  Arch  chapter  in  the  county  and  inckides  among  its 
members  several  JMasons  who  belong  to  the  blue  lodges  at  Toulon, 
I^afayette,  Speer  and  Bradford. 

OKDER  or  THE  EASTERN  STAR 

The  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star  is  a  "side  degree"  of  the  ^Masonic 
fraternity,  to  which  the  wives,  daughters  or  other  near  female  relatives 
of  ^Master  jNIasons  are  eligible.  The  local  bodies  are  called  chapters. 
The  oldest  Eastern  Star  body  in  Stark  County  is  the  chapter  at 
AVyoming,  which  was  first  organized  on  ]May  29.  18(>8,  under  the  name 
of  the  "Family  of  the  Eastern  Star  Xo.  134,"  with  twelve  members, 
to-wit:  Rev.  John  W.  Agard,  George  W.  Scott,  S.  K.  Conover,  John 
Wrigley,  J.  M.  Rogers,  H.  A.  Hoist,  JNIartha  P.  Agard,  Mary  C. 
Scott,  ^largaret  A.  Conover,  Ann  Wrigley,  Harriet  Rogers  and 
Rebecca  Butler.  ^Irs.  ^Margaret  A.  Conover  was  the  first  worthy 
matron  and  John  W.  Agard  the  first  Avorthy  patron. 

On  February  18,  1871,  the  "family"  was  reorganized  under  a 
charter  granted  by  the  Su])reme  Grand  Chapter  of  X"ew  York  as 
Wyoming  Chapter  X^o.  .V2.  When  the  Grand  Chapter  of  Illinois  was 
established,  the  Wyoming  organization  Mas  the  first  to  apply  for  a 
charter  under  the  new  jurisdiction.  Strictly  speaking,  therefore,  it 
should  have  been  No.  1,  but  by  some  means  other  Eastern  Star  bodies 
i-eceived  their  charters  before  this  one.  which  was  reorganized  imder 
a  charter  dated  October  16,  1877,  as  Wyoming  Chapter  Xo.  8,  Order 
of  the  Eastern  Star. 

One  incident  in  the  history  of  Wyoming  Chapter  of  which  the 
members  have  just  cause  to  feel  proud  was  the  visit  of  Robert  ]Morris, 
author  of  the  ritual  and  founder  of  the  Eastern  Star  degree,  who 
came  to  Wyoming  early  in  the  "70s  and  instructed  the  officers  and 
members  in  the  work.  This  is  an  honor  that  few  chapters  can  claim. 
The  membership  in  1915  was  162,  with  INIrs.  Alma  L.  Wead  worthy 
matron  and  A.  J.  Adams  worthy  patron. 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  279 

Toulon  Chapter  No.  10  was  first  organized  under  a  charter  dated 
February  17,  1871,  issued  by  the  Supreme  Grand  Lodge  of  New 
York,  whence  all  the  early  Eastern  Star  chapters  received  their  author- 
ity. The  charter  and  reconls  of  the  chapter  were  burned  in  the  fire 
of  May  17,  1877,  which  destroyed  tlie  ^lasonic  Hall,  and  on  October 
2,  1877,  a  new  charter  was  obtained  from  the  Grand  Chapter  of  Illi- 
nois. Owing  to  the  l)urning  of  the  charter  and  records  it  is  impossible 
to  give  a  correct  list  of  the  charter  members.  In  191.5  the  chapter 
numbered  over  one  hundred  members,  with  INlrs.  H.  C.  Smith,  worthy 
matron;  H.  C.  Smith,  worthy  patron,  and  ]Mrs.  Ella  Johnston, 
secretary. 

The  Eastern  Star  chapter  at  Lafayette  was  instituted  on  Febru- 
ary 1,  188(),  Avith  the  following  charter  members:  I.  G.  Foster,  A.  H. 
Whiit,  T.  U.  Church,  T.  W.  Ross,  J.  H.  ^Vhite,  Daniel  White,  An- 
drew Jackson  and  their  wives.  The  chapter  is  still  in  existence  and 
has  a  strong  membership.  There  is  also  an  Eastern  Star  chapter  at 
Bradford. 

INDEPENDENT    ORDER    OF   ODD    FELLOWS 

The  modern  order  of  Odd  Fellows  owes  its  origin  to  a  society  or- 
ganized in  England  in  the  latter  part  of  the  eighteenth  century  under 
the  name  of  the  "'Ancient  and  Most  Noble  Order  of  Bucks,"  the 
])rincipal  emblem  of  wiiich  was  a  stag's  head  with  spreading  antlers. 
About  1773  this  order  declined,  but  it  was  revived  in  a  slightly  differ- 
ent form,  and  some  four  or  five  years  later  the  words  "Odd  Fellow" 
first  occurred  in  the  ritual.  In  1813  several  lodges  sent  delegates  to 
iSIanchester  and  organized  the  ^Manchester  Unity  of  Odd  Fellows, 
which  was  the  first  effort  to  establish  anything  like  a  grand  lodge. 
Soon  after  this  Shakspere  Lodge,  Xo.  1,  was  organized  in  New 
York,  but  it  did  not  last  long.  The  first  permanent  lodge  in  the 
United  States  was  organized  by  Thomas  H.  AVildey,  of  Baltimore, 
in  IHli).  From  that  parent  lodge  Odd  Fellowship  has  spread  to  all 
parts  of  the  country  and  it  is  now  one  of  the  strongest  and  most  in- 
fluential of  the  American  fraternal  orders. 

Stark  Lodge,  Xo.  9G.  located  at  Toulon,  was  the  first  Odd  Fel- 
lows' lodge  to  be  established  in  Stark  County.  It  was  organized  on 
X'ovember  8,  18.51,  with  the  following  charter  members:  Amos  1'. 
Gill.  Alexander  INIoncrief,  Oliver  Whitaker,  Thomas  J.  Wright  and 
William  Clark.  The  charter  bears  date  of  October  17.  18.)1.  For 
niori  tlian  ten  years  the  lodge  grew  steadily  in  numbers  and  influence, 
l)ut  with  the  breaking  out  of  tb.c  Civil  war  in  1 801  so  many  of  the 


280  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

members  enlisted  in  the  army  tluit  it  was  susiJended  by  order  of  the 
Grand  Lodge  of  Ilhnois  in  18G2.  Its  charter  was  not  taken  up,  how- 
ever, and  in  April,  1806,  regular  meetings  and  woi-k  were  resumed. 
In  I8T0  the  lodge  fitted  up  a  hall  in  the  second  story  of  the  bank  Iniild- 
ingof  Eurge  &  Company  at  an  expense  of  over  two  thousand  dollars, 
\\hich  included  the  cost  of  the  second  story  of  the  building.  Subse- 
quently the  lodge  sold  its  interest  in  this  building  to  the  banking  firm 
and  joined  with  JNIr.  Sundquist  in  the  erection  of  the  two-story  brick 
structure  at  the  northwest  corner  of  ]Main  and  Franklin  streets,  the 
south  end  of  the  second  story  being  built  by  the  Odd  Fellows  for  a 
lodge  room. 

At  one  time  this  lodge  numbered  about  one  hundred  members,  but 
some  withdrew  to  assist  in  the  formation  of  other  lodges  in  the  county, 
others  died  and  still  others  moved  away,  so  that  in  191.5  the  member- 
ship was  but  little  over  sixty.  At  that  time  James  ]McCulioch  held 
the  office  of  noble  grand  and  E.  B.  Redlield  that  of  secretary. 

The  second  Odd  Fellows'  lodge  in  the  county  was  organized  at 
Wvomin"-,  under  a  charter  dated  October  1.5,  18.57,  and  officially 
designated  as  Wyoming  Lodge,  Xo.  24-i.  Tlie  ciiarter  members  of 
this  lodge  were:  Henry  A.  Hoist,  John  Hawks,  Isaac  X.  Tidd,  V. 
M.  Whiffen,  C.  W.  Brown  and  ^^^  B.  Armstrong.  After  a  some- 
■\vhat  })recarious  career  of  six  years  the  lodge  surrendered  its  charter 
in  October,  1863.  It  was  afterward  reinstated  under  the  original 
name  and  number  and  the  reorganized  lodge  was  held  on  February  6, 
1871,  with  Henry  A.  Hoist  as  noble  grand. 

This  is  now  the  strongest  Odd  Fellows'  lodge  in  the  county,  having 
in  October,  191.5,  over  one  hundred  members.  In  1913  the  lodge 
erected  one  of  the  handsomest  business  buildings  in  ^Vyoming  at  a 
cost  of  $10,000.  The  lower  floor  is  devoted  to  mercantile  purposes, 
while  on  the  second  floor  is  fitted  up  one  of  the  best  appointed  lodge 
halls  in  this  section  of  the  state.  C.  P.  Pratt  held  the  office  of  noble 
grand  in  191.5  and  J.  ISl.  Earhart  was  secretary. 

Bradford  Lodge,  X"o.  .579,  was  organized  under  a  charter  dated 
June  J-,  187.5.  The  original  members  were  Cyrus  Bocock,  Joshua 
Prouty,  A.  J.  Sturm,  J.  D.  Woods,  A.  ]M.  Hutchinson,  H.  J.  Cos- 
grove,' E.  F.  Lyman,  Edmund  Ewing,  W.  H.  Hall  and  W.  A.  Hol- 
man.  Joshua  Prouty  was  the  first  noble  grand.  In  October,  1915, 
the  lodge  numbered  115  members,  with  William  Ribley,  noble  grand, 
and  J.  X.  Kitterman,  secretary.  Regular  meetings  are  held  on  Friday 
evening  of  each  week. 

On  X'ovember  20,  1878,  a  charter  was  issued  by  the  Grand  liodge 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  2S1 

of  Illinois  to  Upton  H.  Brown,  Joseph  A.  Cisney,  David  B.  Cragin, 
R.  O.  Phillips  and  W .  J.  Hamilton  to  organize  an  Odd  Fellows'  lodge 
at  Lafayette,  to  l)e  known  as  Lafayette  Lodge,  No.  0.57.  At  one 
time  tiiis  lodge  had  about  eighty  members,  but  death,  removals  and 
withdrawals  had  reduced  the  membership  in  191.5  to  about  tifty. 
Alexander  JNlortison  was  then  nol)le  grand  and  A.  H.  White  was 
secretary.  JNIeetings  are  held  on  Saturday  evenings  in  the  hall  over 
the  postofRee. 

In  December,  18S.5,  JS.  J.  Fox  and  a  few  other  Odd  Fellows  living 
at  W'est  Jersey  and  in  the  immediate  vicinity  held  a  meeting  and 
|)repared  a  petition  to  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Illinois  asking  for  a  char- 
ter. The  ])etition  was  granted  and  West  Jersey  I^odge  was  instituted 
on  3Iarch  29,  188(j,  as  Xo.  234,  the  lodge  formerly  holding  that  num- 
ber having  jjassed  out  of  existence.  The  charter  members  were:  S.  J. 
Fox.  J.  H.  Emery,  W.  M.  Grey,  C.  B.  Vansickle,  N.  E.  Pomeroy, 
J.  \y.  Wick  and  Alexander  Ingles.  The  first  meeting  ])lace  was  the 
hall  over  Doctor  Perry's  store.  In  191.5  this  lodge  numbered  al)out 
forty  members. 

Wyoming  Encampment,  No.  20.5,  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
I'ellows,  was  first  organized  on  JNIarch  24,  1876,  as  No.  174,  with  C.  F. 
TTamilton  as  the  first  patriarch  and  the  following  charter  members: 
J.  ^1.  Brown,  J.  ^1.  Cox,  II.  J.  Cosgrove.  I.  P.  Carpenter.  Dennis 
Guyre.  J.  D.  Woods,  T.  B.  ^Vall,  J.  L.  ]Moffitt,  John  Hawks,  D.  S. 
Hewitt  and  C.  F.  Hamilton.  Meetings  are  held  in  the  Odd  Fellows' 
new  Irtiilding  on  the  first  and  third  Thursdays  of  each  month.  The 
meml)ership  in  October,  1915,  was  about  fifty. 

DAUGHTERS   OF    KEBEKAH 

This  is  the  ladies'  degree  of  Odd  Fellowshi]).  It  was  founded 
some  years  after  the  original  order  for  the  M'ives,  daughters,  sisters 
and  mothers  of  Odd  Fellows.  The  members  are  generally  referred  to 
as  "Rebekahs."  and  the  lodges  as  "Rebekah  Degree  Lodges."  The 
first  Rebekah  lodge  in  Stark  County  was  organized  at  Ivafayette  on 
November  17.  1880,  as  Stark.  No.  110.  For  some  reason  this  numlier 
was  al'terward  given  to  the  Rebekah  lodge  at  Toulon  and  the  I^afay- 
ctte  organization  \\as  rechristened  Merry  Rebekah  Lodge,  No.  1.39. 
The  lodge  is  still  in  existence  and  is  in  a  fairly  prosjjcrous  condition. 

Star  Rel)ekah  I>odge.  No.  110,  was  instituted  at  Toulon  on  Febru- 
ary 1().  1882,  by  (xrand  Secretary  N.  C.  Nason,  of  Peoria,  assisted  by 
members  of  the  Rebekah  lodges  at  Lafayette  and  Peoria.     After  the 

Vol.  I — IS 


282  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

ceremony  of  institution  was  completed,  D.  S.  Hewitt  was  installed  as 
noble  grand;  JNlrs.  V.  B.  Thornton,  vice  grand;  J.  M.  Brown,  secre- 
tary; iMrs.  Howard  Stanley,  financial  secretary,  and  ^Irs.  U.  Cham- 
berlain, treasurer.  In  191.)  this  lodge  numbered  about  ninety 
members. 

^Vyoming  Rebekah  Lodge,  No.  333,  although  not  organized  until 
some  years  after  the  lodges  at  Lafayette  and  Toulon,  is  the  strongest 
in  the  county,  reporting  120  members  on  October  1,  1915.  Regular 
meetings  are  held  by  this  lodge  on  the  first  and  third  Wednesdays  of 
each  month  in  the  Odd  Fellows'  new  building.  Nearly  every  Odd 
Fellows'  lodge  in  the  state  has  its  auxiliary  Rebekah  Degree. 

GRAND   AR:MY    OF   THE   REPUBLIC 

Shortly  after  the  close  of  the  Civil  war  the  survivors  of  the  Union 
army  organized  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  membership  in 
which  was  limited  to  those  A\ho  had  served  in  the  army  or  navy  during 
tlie  war.  I^ocal  organizations  are  called  posts.  Each  state  consti- 
tutes a  "department,"  in  which  the  highest  officer  is  called  the  state 
commander,  or  department  commander.  The  objects  of  the  Grand 
Army  have  been  to  collect  and  preserve  historic  relics  and  documents 
pertaining  to  the  war;  to  mark  the  location  of  troops  upon  the  gi'eat 
battlefields,  and  to  aid  and  assist  sick  and  disabled  conn-ades  and  their 
families. 

Probably  the  first  Grand  Army  post  in  Stark  Comity  was  the  one 
organized  at  Elmira  under  a  charter  dated  ^Nlarch  11,  1867,  and  was 
known  as  No.  244.  Tlie  original  members  were  Orlando  Brace.  Robert 
Turnbull,  John  Styers,  Da\'id  and  AVilliam  Jackson.  Frank  Hudson, 
James  Cinnamon,  Asa  Clark,  jNIarshall  Lecox  and  John  ]McLean. 
William  Jackson  was  the  first  commander. 

About  187.)  the  order  underwent  a  reorganization  and  the  Elmira 
post  received  a  new  charter  dated  ISIarch  6,  187«'.  under  which  it  took 
the  name  of  James  Jackson  Post,  No.  37,  with  A\"illiam  Jackson  again 
the  first  commander.    Very  few  of  the  original  members  are  left. 

DeWolf  Post,  No.  371.  located  at  Wyoming,  was  organized  some 
time  in  the  winter  of  18B7-(>8.  A  short  time  before  that  Dr.  J.  C. 
Copestake  was  nuistered  into  the  Grand  Army  by  Colonel  Ford,  de- 
partment adjutant,  and  upon  returning  to  Wyoming  called  a  meeting 
of  veterans  to  discuss  the  question  of  organizing  a  post.  Doctor 
Co])estake  was  elected  tlie  first  commander  and  the  post  started  off 
with  about  thirtv  charter  members.     After  a  few  months  the  orafan- 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  283 

i/atiou  was  disbanded,  hut  was  afterward  reorganized  with  the  original 
naiiK'  and  nunil)cr.  .\t  one  time  this  post  numbered  over  seventy 
members,  but  death  and  removals  have  weakened  it  until  only  a  few 
are  left.  Regular  meetings  are  no  longer  held,  though  the  organiza- 
tion is  kept  up.  The  membership  in  Oetober,  1915,  was  sixteen,  with 
William  llolgate  commander  and  Charles  F.  Hamilton,  adjutant. 

Diekinson  Post,  No.  90,  was  organized  at  Bradford  on  Februai-y 
9,  18S1.  with  ^Nlordecai  Bevier  as  commander.  A  few  years  after  it 
was  chartered  it  Iioasted  a  membership  of  seventy-three,  l)ut  like  other 
|)()sts  it  has  gradually  decreased  in  numbers  until  there  is  but  a  "cor- 
poral's  guard"  left.     In  191.5  J.  N.  Kitterman  was  commander. 

\y.  W.  ^Vright  Post,  No.  327,  was  organized  at  Toulon  under  a 
charter  dated  August  20,  18S.*5,  with  twenty-hve  charter  members. 
The  first  commander  was  Capt.  John  M.  Brown  of  Company  K, 
Forty-seventh  Illinois  Infantry.  At  one  time  tliis  Mas  the  strongest 
Cirand  Army  post  in  the  county,  having  close  to  one  hundred  members. 
The  few  that  are  left  hold  meetings  in  the  ^lasonic  Hall.  The  com- 
mander in  191.5  was  I^evi  Silliman. 

There  is  a'pathos  in  the  history  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic 
that  is  not  to  be  I'ound  in  that  of  any  other  fraternal  order.  In  tlicir 
voung  and  vigorous  manhood  the  members  left  their  homes  and  shops 
to  do  battle  for  the  preservation  of  the  Union.  The  membership  be- 
ing limited  to  those  who  served  in  the  army  makes  it  impossible  to 
reci'uit  new  members  from  a  succeeding  generation  and  each  yeai'  on 
^Memorial  Day,  when  these  old  veterans  turn  out  to  decorate  the 
graves  of  their  fallen  coim-ades,  the  most  casual  observer  cannot  hell) 
but  note  that  the  "line  of  blue"  is  growing  thinner  and  more  fcet)le. 
A  few  years  more  and  the  last  of  the  Grand  Army  will  have  answered 
the  last  roll  call  and  the  patriotic  order  will  be  no  more. 

\early  every  (irand  Army  post  has  its  auxiliary  known  as  the 
Women's  Relief  Corps,  which  has  been  a  great  factor  in  the  charitable 
work  of  the  order  in  caring  for  the  ])oor  and  disabled  soldiers,  their 
\\  idows  and  orjihans.  It  is  composed  of  the  wives  and  daughters  of 
old  soldiers. 

TEMPERAXCF,    SOCIETIES 

As  a  I'ule  the  people  of  Stark  County  have  always  been  believers 
in  temperance  and  the  saloon  has  never  done  a  profitable  business  any- 
where in  the  county  for  any  continued  length  of  time.  The  Wash- 
ington Temperance  Society  was  organized  in  184.5  and  in  February. 
184.8,  received  a  charter  from  the  national  organization.     It  numbered 


284  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

amouQ-  its  members  .such  men  as  John  W.  and  Thomas  J.  Henderson, 
\V.  \V.  Drummond,  John  A.  Wilhanis,  Ohver  W'hitaker,  IJenjamin 
Turner,  Patrick  INI.  Blair,  Martin  Shallenberger,  Ira  \Vard,  Sr.  and 
Samuel  G.  Butler.  For  a  time  the  society  was  active  in  advocating 
the  cause  of  temperance.  In  1848  it  built  a  hall,  which  was  afterward 
owned  and  occupied  by  the  JNlasonie  lodge  until  it  was  destroyed  by 
fire  in  iNIay,  1877.  Politics  finally  crept  into  the  ranks,  brought  al)out 
dissensions  and  the  society  disbanded. 

Division  No.  3,  Sons  of  Temperance,  was  organized  at  Toulon  on 
March  17.  187-5.  with  Levi  Silliman  as  president.  Among  the  members 
were  several  who  had  been  members  of  the  Washington  Society. 

In  the  early  '80s  the  Independent  Order  of  Good  Templars  be- 
came prominent  in  the  county.  Lodges  were  organized  at  Toulon, 
Osceola,  Lafayette,  Bradford,  Castleton  and  Wyoming.  This  order 
appealed  to  many  because  it  was  "secret,"  though  its  influence  was 
widely  felt  while  it  existed. 

The  Wj'oming  Band  of  Hope,  a  temperance  society,  was  organ- 
ized in  the  spring  of  1882,  with  ten  members,  among  whom  were  John 
Hawks,  Dr.  J.  C.  Copestake,  W.  H.  Barrett  and  a  nimiber  of  women 
who  were  in  favor  of  keeping  saloons  out  of  the  town.  Its  influence 
was  chiefly  exerted  for  that  purpose. 

MISCELLANEOUS   SOCIETIES 

Scattered  over  the  county  there  are,  or  have  been  in  the  past,  a 
number  of  societies  and  organizations,  some  of  which  formed  a  part 
of  some  great  order  or  movement,  and  others  purely  local  in  their  char- 
acter. In  the  beginning  of  the  jireparation  of  this  work,  letters  were 
sent  to  the  secretaries  of  the  societies  now  in  existence,  but  unfortu- 
nately for  the  historian  only  a  few  replied.  It  is  therefore  impossible 
to  give  a  detailed  history  of  such  organizations. 

In  the  early  '70s  an  order  called  the  Patrons  of  Husbandry  spread 
over  the  nation  and  for  a  time  threatened  to  become  an  important 
influence  in  political  aff"airs.  The  principal  objects  of  the  organiza- 
tion Mere  to  secure  a  better  price  for  farm  jiroducts  and  a  lower  price 
for  merchandise  of  all  kinds.  To  tliis  end  cooperative  stores  were 
started  in  numerous  cities  of  the  comitry  to  eliminate  the  "middleman" 
by  buying  direct  from  the  manufacturer  and  selling  direct  to  the  con- 
sumer. The  local  bodies  were  called  "Gi*anges,"  several  of  which  were 
formed  in  Stark  County.  But,  like  all  such  movements,  its  useful- 
ness was  short-lived,  owing  to  the  fact  that  its  members  could  not 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  285 

agree  on  the  question  of  whether  the  order  shouhl  "n'o  into  jjolities" 
or  not. 

The  JModern  Woixhnen  of  iVnierica,  an  order  of  which  fi'aternal 
insni-anee  is  the  leading  feature,  has  h)dges  at  Wyoming,  Toulon, 
Rradi'ord  and  Lafayette.  The  Wyoming  Camp,  as  the  local  lodges 
are  called,  is  probably  the  oldest  in  the  county.  It  was  organized  in 
July,  188(5,  with  E.  A.  Trimmer,  venerable  counsel,  and  J.  ]M.  Thomas, 
Jr..  clerk.  The  camp  now  occupies  the  hall  formerly  occupied  by  the 
Odd  Fellows  and  owns  the  building  in  which  it  is  located. 

Bradford  Camp,  No.  1156,  JModern  \Voodmen  of  America,  was 
organized  about  the  same  time  as  the  Wyoming  Camp  and  in  191. j 
numbered  138  members,  with  C.  A.  Austin,  venerable  counsel,  and 
Walter  Scholes,  clerk.  Connected  with  the  JModern  ^Voodmen  is  a 
ladies'  degree  called  the  Royal  Neighbors,  an  organization  of  which  is 
auxiliary  to  every  camp  in  the  county. 

Tile  Knights  of  the  JMaccabees.  aiiother  fratern.il  insurance  so- 
ciety, have  several  "tents"  in  the  county;  the  JMystic  Workers,  the 
Court  of  Honor,  the  Sons  of  Veterans,  and  a  few  other  fraternal 
societies  are  also  represented  by  organizations  in  most  of  the  leading- 
towns. 


CHAPTER  XVII 
MISCELLANEOUS  HISTORY 

PUllPOSE  OF  THIS  CHAPTER FIRST  THINGS PRICES  AND  MAGES LIN- 
COLN AND  DOUGLAS  AT  TOULON THE  UNDERGROUND  RAILROAD- 
FOUNTAIN    AV ATKINS    TELLS    A    STORY A    RESOLUTION THE    FIRST 

POLITICAL   CAMPAIGN INDIAN   RETALIATION HUNTING  IN  EARLY 

DAYS — THE  MORMON  PROPHET — A  POLITICAL  ECHO. 

In  the  early  days  on  the  frontier,  when  the  thvellhig  usually  con- 
sisted of  one  room  and  every  inch  of  space  had  to  be  utilized  to  the 
best  possible  advantage,  it  was  a  common  occurrence  for  the  prudent 
housewife  to  provide  some  sort  of  receptacle  for  such  small  articles  as 
were  not  required  for  daily  use.  Such  a  receptacle  was  called  a  "catch 
all."  for  the  reason  that  it  contained  a  varied  assortment  of  little  things 
tluit  were  likely  to  be  in  the  way  elsewhere.  This  chapter  on  ]Mis- 
cellaneous  History  is  somewhat  like  the  pioneer  housewife's  "catch 
all,"  inasmuch  as  it  is  made  up  of  events  that  do  not  properly  l)el()ng 
to  the  subjects  treated  in  the  other  chapters  and  yet  are  of  historic 
interest.  In  presenting  these  miscellaneous  events  some  repetitions 
may  occur,  but  this  cannot  well  be  avoided,  and  in  many  instances  tliis 
repeated  reference  to  some  incident  of  early  days  will  help  to  refresh 
the  memory  of  the  reader. 

FIRST   THINGS 

The  first  white  man  to  settle  in  Stark  County  was  Isaac  B.  Essex. 
His  cabin,  built  in  April.  1829,  was  the  first  civiliz.ed  habitation,  and 
his  son,  born  in  1829,  was  the  first  white  child  born  in  the  county. 
A\'ilson  Smith  was  l)orn  in  what  is  now  AVest  Jersey  Township  the 
same  year,  a  little  after  the  Essex  child. 

The  first  death  was  that  of  a  little  child  of  David  Gregory,  and  the 
first  marriage  was  that  of  Harris  W.  ^Nliner  and  ^Nliss  Xancy  Gross, 
which  was  solemnized  some  time  in  the  winter  of  1831-32,  while  Stark 
was  still  a  part  of  Putnam  County. 

The  first  land  entries  were  made  at  the  land  offices  at  Quincy  or 
Galena,  until  a  land  office  was  opened  at  Dixon,  about  1840.    The  first 

286 


HISTORY  OF  STAKK  COUNTY  287 

Iraiiic  house  was  the  store  room  of  Whitney  Smitli  at  Wyoming, 
which  was  built  in  the  fall  of  1837.  A  small  frame  building  or  two 
were  built  at  Lafayette  either  that  fall  or  the  following  spring. 

The  first  mill  was  built  by  Harmon  Leek  in  18;W  or  1S:U  on  the 
Spoon  River,  near  the  road  from  Wyoming  to  Toulon.  The  first 
bridge  in  the  county  was  built  oxer  the  Spoon  River  in  the  fall  of 
1H:J!>.  not  far  from  Leek's  ^lill. 

The  first  postotfice  was  establisiied  at  the  house  of  Isaac  B.  Essex 
in  18.33,  but  was  later  removed  to  Wyoming,  and  the  first  schoolhouse 
was  raised  on  July  4,  1834.  in  Essex  Township. 

Jesse  W.  Heath,  who  opened  a  small  store  at  Wyoming,  was 
])robal)ly  the  first  merchant.  Dr.  Elii)halet  Ellsworth  was  the  first 
resident  physician,  and  W.  W.  Drummond  the  first  lawyer  to  locate 
in  the  county. 

Tiie  first  railroads  were  built  through  the  county  in  1871  and  the 
first  car  load  of  grain  was  shii)])ed  from  Toulon  by  Charles  INIyers, 
who  built  the  first  grain  warehouse. 

The  first  newspaper  was  published  in  January,  1856;  the  first 
religious  organization  was  Adam  Perry's  INIethodist  class,  which  \\as 
formed  in  183.5 ;  the  first  camp  meeting  was  held  in  the  summer  of 
1840.  and  the  first  coal  was  mined  in  18,).). 

PRICES    AXn    WAGES 

Much  has  been  said  in  recent  years  about  the  high  cost  of  living, 
but.  when  compared  with  conditions  of  three-quarters  of  a  centiu'y 
ago,  the  present  day  citizen  has  no  cause  for  complaint.  From  old 
account  books  kept  by  a  merchant  of  McLean  Covmty,  111.,  from  1830 
to  183.5,  it  is  learned  that  unbleached  muslin  then  sold  for  from  20  to 
30  cents  per  yard:  cambric.  40  cents;  calico,  37^2  cents;  bed  ticking, 
40  to  7.5  cents;  coffee,  25  to  40  cents  per  pound;  tea.  $1  to  .$1.2.5;  salt, 
3  cents:  sugar,  10  to  121/^  cents;  nails,  121/.  to  1.5  cents;  tacks,  2;5  cents 
])er  paper:  molasses,  37V2  P^i'  gallon,  and  whisky,  ;50  cents.  As  the 
conditions  in  McLean  County  and  what  is  now  the  County  of  Stark 
were  very  nuich  the  same,  it  is  fair  to  presume  that  the  early  settlers 
here  paid  similar  i)rices  for  their  goods.  Then  a  tin  pail  holding  a 
gallon  and  a  hall'  sold  for  7-5  cents:  pint  tin  cuj)s,  1.5  cents;  and  a  set 
of  six  common  glass  tumblers,  75  cents. 

On  the  other  hand  the  farmer  sold  his  wheat  for  from  40  to  .50 
cents  ])er  bushel;  corn,  10  to  2.5  cents;  potatoes,  20  to  30  cents;  bacon, 
3f.>  to  .5  cents  per  ]K)und;  butter,  10  to  1.5  cents,  and  other  farm 


288  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

pruducts  in  piupurtion.  Not  only  were  the  prices  low,  but  the  farmer 
had  to  haul  his  produce  several  miles  to  market,  often  over  roads 
Avhere  in  bad  weather  an  empty  wagon  would  be  about  all  t^v()  liorses 
could  draw.  Farm  hands  worked  for  from  .$8  to  ^12  per  month  and 
often  split  fence  rails  for  25  cents  per  100.  Notwithstanding  the 
low  prices  they  received  and  the  high  prices  of  most  of  the  stuff  they 
were  compelled  to  buy,  the  farmers  of  Stark  County  kept  on  with 
their  labors,  improved  their  farms,  developed  the  country,  and  in 
time  grew  sufficientlv  wealthv  to  surround  themselves  with  most  of 
the  comforts  and  some  of  the  luxuries  of  modern  civilization.  When 
one  stops  to  consider  the  obstacles  the  pioneers  overcame  and  the 
results  they  accomplished,  he  cannot  help  but  agree  with  Robert  Burns 
that 

"Buirdly  chiefs  and  clever  hizzies 
Are  bred  in  sic  a  way  as  this  is." 

LINCOLN    AND    DOUGLAS 

The  year  1858  is  memorable  in  Illinois  historj^  for  the  joint  political 
discussions  between  Abraham  Lincoln,  afterward  President  of  the 
United  States,  and  Stejihen  A.  Douglas,  called  by  his  partisan  ad- 
mirers the  "Little  Giant."  The  passage  of  the  Kansas-Nebraska  Bill 
only  four  years  before  had  opened  anew  the  subject  of  slavery.  Doug- 
las had  voted  for  the  jiassage  of  the  bill  and  in  the  debates  with 
]Mr.  Lincoln  he  "met  a  foeman  worthy  of  his  steel."  ]Many  of  the 
Stark  County  j^eople  tried  to  have  one  of  the  joint  discussions  held 
at  Toulon,  but  prior  engagements  defeated  the  plan,  though  the  two 
great  orators,  on  their  way  to  one  of  their  appointments,  each  fa\'ored 
Toulon  with  a  speech. 

Douglas  arrived  on  October  ,5,  1858,  and  was  the  guest  of  the 
hotel  kept  by  B.  A.  Hall,  which  was  democratic  headquarters.  There 
were  then  no  railroads  in  Stark  County,  the  "IJttle  Giant"  came  in 
an  open  carriage,  despite  the  rain,  and  was  accompanied  by  Lieutenant- 
Governor  Payne,  of  Ohio.  At  the  hotel  he  was  greeted  by  a  large 
number  of  enthusiastic  democrats  and  was  Avelcomed  by  ]\Iartin  Shal- 
lenberger  in  a  short  but  appropriate  address,  to  which  ]Mr.  Douglas 
responded  briefly.  After  dinner  he  was  escorted  to  the  jjublic  square, 
where  a  platform  had  been  erected  for  the  speaker.  So  dense  was  the 
crowd  that  some  time  was  spent  in  getting  through  it  to  the  speaker's 
stand,  many  crowding  forward  to  shake  Mr.  Douglas'  hand.  Although 
hoarse  from  his  long  campaign  and  the  rain  was  falling,  he  soon 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  289 

warmed  to  his  subject  and  the  iiiultitude  stood  for  an  hour  or  more 
listening-  with  rapt  attention  to  his  utterances. 

The  next  day  dawned  and  it  was  still  raining;  hut  the  republicans 
seemed  determined  to  make  a  greater  slio\vini>  than  the  democrats  had 
done  on  the  day  previous.  At  an  early  hour  delciiations  came  poui-mn- 
in  t'rom  every  townshi])  in  the  county,  and  even  from  the  ad.joinino- 
counties.  It  could  easily  have  been  seen,  by  the  most  casual  observer, 
that  if  l)ou<>las  was  the  idt)l  of  the  democracy,  Lincoln  was  the  pop- 
ular hero  of  the  republican  party,  which  was  still  in  its  swaddlin<'- 
clothes.  This  vast  assemblage  rendezvoused  on  the  Kewanee  road,  a 
short  distance  north  of  the  town,  to  await  the  coming  of  the  speaker. 
Oliver  W'hitaker  acted  as  chief  marshal.  Forming  the  people  in  a 
hollow  s(iuare,  he  instructed  them  to  remain  silent  until  he  gave  the 
signal  for  applause.  ]Mr.  Lincoln's  carriage  approached  at  a  moder- 
iite  gait,  owing  to  the  condition  of  the  road,  Mr.  Whitaker  waved  his 
iiand  and  the  cheer  that  went  up  was  so  spontaneous  and  deafening 
that  the  horses  attached  to  the  carriage  were  frightened  to  such  an 
extent  that  the  safety  of  the  occupants  of  the  carriage  was  threatened. 
Says  JNIrs.  Shallenberger:  "Order  being  restored,  the  various  dele- 
gations paid  their  resi)ects  to  Mr.  Lincoln  and  the  ladies  on  horseback, 
decorated  with  state  badges,  rode  up.  The  one  representing  Illinois 
was  provided  with  a  wreath  of  leaves  and  Howers,  with  which  it  is 
presumed  she  meant  to  crown  or  encircle  the  man  they  delighted  to 
honor,  but  ]Mr.  Lincoln  very  quietly  said:  'Wear  it  yourself,  dear, 
they  become  you  better  than  me.'  " 

A  procession  was  then  formed — claimed  l)y  many  to  be  the  largest 
ever  witnessed  in  the  county  ui)  to  that  time — and  Mr.  Lincoln  was 
escorted  to  the  Virginia  Hotel  on  East  ]\Liin  Street.  Here  he  de- 
clined any  formal  greeting  and  remained  in  his  room  until  dinner  was 
ready.  After  dinner  he  was  escorted  to  the  public  sfpiare,  where  he 
spoke  from  the  stand  that  Mr.  Douglas  had  spoken  from  the  day 
before.  And,  as  at  the  Douglas  meeting,  the  audience  stood  in  the 
rain  to  listen  to  him  who  two  years  later  was  called  to  the  highest  office 
in  the  gift  of  the  ])eople. 

In  the  cam])aign  of  18(50  these  two  men  were  the  leading  opposing 
candidates  for  the  Presidency.  I^incoln  was  elected  and  when  the 
Southern  States  began  to  ado])t  oi'dinances  of  secession  Mr.  Douglas 
laid  aside  all  former  differences  of  opinion  and  became  a  firm  su])- 
porter  of  the  administration.  As  a  "war  democrat"  he  gained  in 
popularity  and  many  of  his  warmest  friends  were  the  most  sincere 
mourners  when  the  telegraph  in  April,  180.5,  flashed  the  message  to 


290  HISTOKV  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

the  country:  "Lincoln  has  been  assassinated."  In  1912  the  Old 
Settlers'  Association  erected  a  monument  upon  the  site  of  the  platform 
from  which  these  two  great  men  spoke  more  than  half  a  century  be- 
fore.   The  monument  is  described  in  another  chapter. 

THE    UNDERGROUND    RAILROAD 

About  the  time  of  the  passage  of  the  bill  known  as  the  "Missouri 
Compromise"  was  passed  by  Congress  in  1820,  a  number  of  persons 
throughout  the  free  states  began  to  act  in  concert  in  passing  runaway 
negroes  from  one  point  to  another  on  their  way  to  Canada,  where 
they  would  be  beyond  the  reach  of  the  Fugitive  Slave  Law.  Such  per- 
sons acted  with  great  secrecy  at  first,  but  in  a  few  years  the  operation 
of  the  system  became  pretty  well  known  and  was  given  the  name  of 
the  "Underground  Railroad."  One  of  the  best  organized  stations  in 
the  State  of  Illinois  was  the  one  at  Galesburg,  the  route  to  which  lay 
through  Peoria  and  Stark  counties. 

Among  the  early  settlers  of  Stark  County  were  several  who  were 
oj^posed  to  slavery  and,  although  they  were  members  of  church  and 
good  citizens,  did  not  consider  that  they  were  doing  wrong  to  violate 
the  Fugitive  Slave  Law  and  assist  the  poor  black  refugees  on  their 
way  to  freedom.  One  of  these  was  Rev.  S.  G.  Wright,  as  the  follow- 
ing extracts  from  his  diary  will  show:  "February  6.  1843 — Another 
fugitive  from  slavery  came  along,  making  tw  enty-one  that  have  passed 
through  this  settlement  on  their  way  to  Canada.  jMay  22,  1843 — 
Saturday  went  to  Emery  settlement,  but  found  so  strong  an  antipatliy 
against  abolitionists  that  few  would  hear  me  preach,  so  I  went  on  and 
preached  at  Toulon  Sa])bath  morning,  ^lay  30 — The  grand  jin-y 
found  a  bill  against  me  and  my  elder,  W.  W.  Webster,  for  harboring 
runaway  slaves.  June  24 — Witness  in  case  of  The  People  vs.  Cross, 
for  harboring  runaway  slaves." 

The  last  extract  refei's  to  the  case  of  Re\'.  John  Cross,  who  was 
indicted  in  Knox  County  for  aiding  in  the  escape  of  fugitive  negroes. 
Before  the  case  came  to  trial,  IMr.  Cross  removed  to  Bureau  County 
and  a  deputy  sheriff  was  sent  to  arrest  him  and  bring  him  back  to 
Knoxville.  jNL-.  Cross  not  only  agreed  to  go  willingly,  but  also  fur- 
nished his  team  and  light  wagon  for  the  trip.  Leaving  Bureau  County 
on  Saturday,  they  reached  Oliver  Whitaker's.  at  Osceola  Grove,  that 
night  and  ]Mr.  Cross  pi'eached  there  the  next  morning.  Before  this 
he  had  been  arrested  and  confined  in  the  jail  at  Galesburg,  but  had 
been  bailed  out  l)y  some  of  his  abolitionist  friends.  In  his  trial  at 
Knoxville  in  1843  he  was  acquitted. 


HISTORV  OF  STARK   COUNTY  291 

Elias  and  Xeheniiali  Wycoff  came  to  Stark  County  before  it  was 
or<^ani/,e(l  and  settled  in  the  Sjjoon  River  \"alley.  not  far  from  the 
I'eoria  County  line.  They  soon  l)eeame  identitied  with  the  Under- 
ground Railroad  and  no  doubt  furnished  aid  to  many  a  runaway  slave. 
In  one  of  his  pioneer  sketches  published  in  the  old  Stark  County  Sen- 
tinel, ^V.  H.  Adams  tells  the  following-  story,  as  it  was  given  to  him 
J)y  Fountain  ^^'atkins,  the  jjrincipal  actor,  who  was  known  as  "the 
laughing  abolitionist,"  on  account  of  his  sunny  disposition: 

"Some  time  late  in  the  '-10s  Eli  Wilson  brought  to  my  place  a 
likely  young  darkey,  who  said  he  had  been  a  waiter  on  a  Mississippi 
River  steamboat.  He  stayed  with  us  for  about  a  week  and  ])layed 
with  the  boys  in  the  woods.  Some  of  our  kind  friends  at  Farmington 
sent  me  word  one  evening  to  push  the  boy  ahead,  as  hunters  were  on 
his  track.  It  would  not  answer  to  start  that  night,  for  it  would  be 
certain  to  invite  pursuit.  I  finally  concluded  to  wait  until  morning 
and  during  the  night  studied  out  a  plan  how  the  old  woman  and  me 
would  go  visiting  the  next  day  on  horseback.  As  the  fall  winds  were 
kinder  hard  on  the  women's  faces,  it  was  no  more  than  natural  for 
her  to  iiave  on  a  veil.  So  the  next  morning  I  saddled  a  gray  team  I 
owned  and  had  I'eter  put  on  one  of  my  wife's  dresses  and  a  veil,  and 
helped  him  to  mount  the  horse  with  the  side-saddle,  just  as  though  it 
was  my  wife.  I  mounted  the  other  horse  and  admonished  Peter  not 
to  talk  unless  I  spoke  to  h.im. 

"We  struck  out,  taking  a  road  that  led  in  the  direction  of  the  east 
side  of  the  mound,  west  of  the  Town  of  Klmwood.  The  road  across 
the  Kickapoo  bottoms  was  lined  on  each  side  with  a  dense  growth  of 
high  weeds  and  brush.  AVhile  in  this  place  we  saw  a  team  coming 
toward  us  with  Geoi'ge  Pierce  and  John  Daltou  in  the  wagon.  1  had 
been  told  that  Dalton  had  been  blowing  around  that  if  he  ever  caught 
me  'i-uiming  off  a  nigger'  he  would  have  me  arrested.  I  pulled  out  to 
the  rigiit  and  Peter  to  the  left  to  let  the  wagon  jiass.  I  said  'Good 
morning,"  and  they  said  "(Tood  morning,'  but  we  had  not  gone  more 

than  a  rod  or  two  when  I  heard  George  say:    'I'll  be  d d  if  I  don't 

lielieve  Foimt  has  a  nigger  with  him.'  Here  the  road  made  a  shar]) 
turn,  the  gi'ound  was  soft,  and  didn't  we  ])ly  the  bud  and  let  the  horses 
go  until  we  reached  the  high  ground  at  tiie  mound.  Here  we  ])ulled 
rein  and  looked  back.  Not  a  soul  was  in  sight.  I  told  Pete  that  it  was 
twelve  miles  to  the  next  timber  and  we  had  to  travel,  as  there  Avas 
danger  of  them  cusses  following  us. 

"We  reached  the  hazel  brush  south  of  Rochester,  on  Spoon  River, 
where  I  hid  Pete  and  started  I'or  town  to  find  something  to  eat  for  the 


292  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

horses,  the  nigger  and  myself.  Meeting  Dave  Frisby,  I  did  ni)t  pre- 
tend to  notice  liini.  hut  he  recognized  me  and  said:  'IleHo  Fount! 
How  do  you  do:'  Where  are  you  goingf  I  replied:  'Just  down 
here  to  find  a  girl:  my  wife  is  not  very  well.'  To  this  Dave  replied 
with  a  significant  smile,  'You  don't  want  a  girl;  you  have  a  runaway 
somewhere  in  the  brush  and  are  on  the  hunt  of  something  to  eat.  I 
know  you,  old  fox,  you  can't  fool  Dave  Frisby.  How  are  the  wife 
and  babies,  anj*  howT  I  said:  'Dave,  where  have  you  been^'  He 
replied  that  he  was  in  business  in  Rochester,  and  then  came  back  to 
the  subject  of  the  fugitive:  'Say,  Fount,  you've  got  a  nigger  hid 
some^\here,  and  don't  you  deny  it.  Do  you  see  that  house  over  there ^ 
That  is  where  Elias  AVycoff  lives.  I  board  there.  He  is  a  brother 
to  Xehemiah  WycofF,  who  lives  just  across  the  line  in  Stark  County, 
and  both  are  sound  abolitionists.'  1  said:  'Dave,  \Vycoff  may  be  all 
right,  but  you  always  said  it  was  not  right  to  help  slaves  get  away 
from  their  masters.'  He  replied:  'Fount,  you  know  I  have  also  al- 
ways said  slavery  was  wrong;  then  it  is  all  right  to  set  them  free. 
Here's  my  hand  on  that. 

"I  knew  1  could  tie  to  Dave,  so  we  shook  hands  and  I  went  with 
liini  to  the  house.  JMr.  WycofF  was  not  at  home,  l)ut  was  expected  in  a 
short  time.  The  horses  were  cared  for  and  Frisby  and  I  went  out  to 
Pete's  hiding  ])lace.  I  gave  the  signal  and  'the  woman'  steijped  out. 
We  introduced  'her'  to  the  family  and  to  Mr.  WycofF,  who  said  he 
M  ould  be  delighted  to  help  anyone  out  of  bondage.  Pete  and  I  had 
supper  and  soon  afterward  I  informed  our  host  that  'the  lady'  wished 
to  make  some  change  in  her  dress.  She  was  shown  into  a  room  and  I 
followed.  Said  I:  'Pete,  take  ofF  yovn-  dress.'  WycofF  was  some- 
what surprised  and  asked:  'Is  that  a  man?'  I  said  it  was.  that  he  had 
on  one  of  my  Mife's  dresses  and  that  I  wanted  to  take  it  home  with 
me,  because  dresses  were  not  overly  plenty  at  our  house.  Peter  slipped 
out  of  Ills  dress  and  stood  before  us  in  a  suit  of  l)roadcloth.  Every- 
body laughed,  and  as  soon  as  it  was  dark  I  started  for  liome,  leaving 
the  fugitive  in  the  care  of  his  new-found  friends  and  that  night  Mr. 
WycofF  passed  him  along  to  the  next  station  on  the  'Great  Southern 
&:  Canadian  Underground  Railroad.'  " 

Slavery  was  abolished  by  President  Lincoln's  Emancipation  Proc- 
lamation in  18G3  and  many  persons  born  since  that  time  can  hardly 
realize  that  it  was  once  a  "divine  institution"  in  the  minds  of  some  of 
the  citizens  of  the  United  States.  The  above  account  of  the  Under- 
ground Railroad  has  been  included  in  this  work  that  the  present  gen- 
eration mav  form  some  idea  of  the  conditions  that  existed  A\hen  the 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  293 

first  white  men  settled  in  Stark  County.  They  were  not  law-hreakers, 
bnt  many  of  them  believed  that  no  one  man  had  a  moral  ri<>ht  to  own 
another,  and  that  it  was  a  righteons  aet  to  violate  the  Fugitive  Slave 
Law.  Sincere  in  these  convictions,  they  did  what  they  could  in  their 
humble  way  to  assist  the  black  slave  on  his  way  to  liberty. 

A   RESOLUTIOX 

For  several  years  after  the  close  of  the  Civil  war.  political  senti- 
ment was  very  much  divided  over  the  enfranchisement  of  the  negroes 
and  the  adoption  of  the  Fourteenth  and  Fifteenth  amendments  to  the 
Federal  Constitution.  The  subject  came  before  the  board  of  super- 
visors of  Stark  County  at  the  June  term  in  18()().  when  Mr.  Ackley, 
of  reun  Township,  presented  the  following  resolution: 

"Whereas,  section  1  of  the  constitutional  amendment  declares 
Ihat  slavery  or  involuntary  servitude  shall  not  exist  in  the  United 
States  or  any  of  the  territories  thereof,  and  section  2  provides  that 
Congress  shall  have  jjower  to  enforce  the  foregoing  section  by  api)ro- 
priate  legislation,  and 

"Whereas,  the  'Civil  Rights  HilT  was  that  appropriate  legislation, 

therefore  be  it 

"Resolved  that  Andrew  Johnson,  in  refusing  to  sign,  and  in 
vetoing  said  bill,  and  in  other  acts  has  rendered  himself  unworthy  the 
confidence  or  respect  of  all  loyal  and  ])atriotic  men." 

Mr.  Parks,  of  Elmira  Township,  moved  that  the  resolution  be 
indefinitely  postponed,  but  the  motion  was  lost.  The  resolution  was 
then  adopted  by  a  vote  of  six  to  two,  Mr.  Parks  and  Mr.  Rogers,  oi' 
XiiWey  Township,  voting  in  the  negative.  The  incident  is  here  men- 
tioned to  show  the  intensity  of  feeling  that  pervaded  Stark  County 
and  how  neighbors  would  differ  in  opinion.  Andrew  .Johnson  was 
then  President  of  the  United  States  and  Messrs.  Parks  and  Rogers 
felt  that  it  was  presumption  on  the  i)art  of  a  board  of  county  sujjcr- 
visors  to  criticize  his  official  acts  or  attempt  to  jjoint  out  to  him  the 
course  he  should  pursue.  The  majority  thought  differently,  howevei-, 
and  placed  themselves  on  record  accordingly. 

THE    FIRST    POLITICAL    C'A:\II'AI0X 

As  stated  in  Chapter  VI,  the  first  election  for  county  olTicers 
was  held  at  the  house  of  Elijah  McClenahan.  The  settlers  in  what 
are  now  FjSscx,  Penn  and  Osceola  townshi])s  got  the  impression  that 
the  little  circle  "at  the  hub,"  known  as  the  "Henderson  men,"  was 


294  HISTORY  OF  STAKK  COUXTV 

organizing  to  jnircel  out  the  otKces.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  emuhi- 
ments  of  any  ottice  in  the  county  at  that  period  would  hardly  pay  the 
incumhent  for  the  labor  he  would  he  required  to  perform  in  the  dis- 
charge of  his  official  duties.  But  political  honors  appealed  to  the 
average  citizen  then  much  as  they  do  in  the  present  day,  and  the  voters 
in  the  "out  townships'"  decided  to  put  up  a  tight  in  opposition  to  "'the 
ring." 

The  Henderson  men  were  chiefly  from  Ohio,  ^^irginia,  Kentucky 
and  Tennessee.  Opposed  to  them  were  the  Yankees  of  Osceola  Grove 
and  Penn  Township  and  the  Scotch  of  Elmira.  Among  the  latter 
was  .James  ]Moore,  who  was  a  shrewd  individual  and  well  calculated  for 
a  political  leader.  He  went  to  Osceola,  where  he  enlisted  the  coopera- 
tion of  E.  S.  Brodhead,  a  brother-in-law  of  Oliver  AVhitaker,  and  the 
two  started  out  to  organize  their  forces  for  the  fray.  In  what  is  now 
Goshen  Township  they  visited  Buloft'  Parrish  and  Conrad  Emery, 
who  had  been  decided  on  as  one  of  the  judges  of  election.  That  eve- 
ning a  little  caucus  was  held  and  the  next  day  the  two  missionaries  held 
a  meeting  at  Lafayette,  where  they  promised  Jonathan  Hodgson  the 
office  of  county  commissioner.  This  settled  matters  so  far  as  that 
l^art  of  the  county  was  concerned,  Hodgson's  friends  becoming  active 
supporters  of  the  movement  to  down  the  Henderson  men. 

The  next  point  was  ]Massillon  Precinct,  or  West  Jersey  Town- 
shij).  though  it  was  not  then  known  by  either  of  those  names.  Here 
the  Eckleys,  Dunns,  AVebsters,  Wycott's,  Trickles  and  their  neighbors 
gathered  and  Stephen  Trickle  was  decided  upon  as  another  available 
candidate  for  county  commissioner.  Thus  the  links  in  tlie  chain  were 
being  welded.  Moore  and  Brodhead  next  went  to  ^Vyoming.  where 
the  latter  was  well  acquainted,  and  where  tlie  support  of  General 
Thomas  and  his  friends  was  secured.  Then  touching  the  settlements 
along  the  way,  the  two  men  returned  to  Osceola  Gro\e,  where  a  mon- 
ster "mass  meeting,"  attended  by  probably  twenty-tive  voters,  was 
held.  The  "slate"  was  then  completed  l)y  the  selection  of  ^Minott  Silli- 
man  for  treasurer,  Jesse  W.  Heath  for  recorder,  Oliver  ^^"hitaker  for 
clerk,  Augustus  A.  Dunn  for  sheriff,  Calvin  Winslow  for  the  third 
commissioner,  Dr.  Thomas  Hall  for  coroner  and  John  W.  Agard  for 
surveyor. 

Xow  came  the  work  of  "getting  out  the  vote."  Teams  and  wagons 
were  pressed  into  service,  every  man  was  assigned  to  his  post,  and  the 
women  folks  were  persuaded  to  make  a  flag  to  be  carried  at  the  head 
of  the  procession  when  it  moved  ui)on  the  polls  at  McClenahan's.  Tliis 
flag  is  thus  described  liv  ^Irs.  Shallenberger: 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  ^95 

"\Vhat  matters  it  that  bed  linen  brought  from  across  the  sea  must 
serve  for  bunting,  a  bhie  silk  handkerchief  be  transformed  into  an 
azure  Hekl  for  the  stars,  and  a  pair  of  genuine  Enghsh  cavalry  pants 
supply  the  scarlet '.  It  was  a  new  combination  and  entirely  successful, 
the  result  being  a  grand  United  States  flag  that  seemed  to  inspire  the 
men  with  all  sorts  of  patriotic  fervor." 

The  Henderson  men,  among  whom  were  the  McCleualians,  Perrys, 
Smiths,  the  several  members  of  the  Essex  family,  and  their  allies, 
were  inclined  to  look  with  derision  on  the  "Pennamites,"  as  they  called 
the  Moore  and  Brodhead  forces,  and  had  published  the  threat  that 
none  of  them  should  ever  hold  office  in  the  new  county.  But  they 
reckoned  without  their  host.  Even  in  that  day  "organization"  counted 
for  something  in  political  campaigns,  and  the  Pemiamites  liad  an 
organization  that  proved  to  be  invulnerable  when  the  final  test  came. 

The  morning  of  the  first  ISIonday  in  April  (election  day)  daAvned 
clear  and  bright  and  each  faction  began  the  work  of  marslialing  its 
h.osts.  Wagons  drawn  by  four  horses  and  filled  with  voters  left 
Osceohi  Grove  at  an  early  hour  for  the  voting  place.  Among  the 
Scotch  settlers  were  several  musicians,  \\\\o  brought  their  instruments 
with  them,  and  as  the  procession  moved  along  the  sound  of  '"pil)e  and 
pibi'och  echoed  through  the  glen."  At  every  settlement  fresh  detach- 
ments of  men  joined  the  ranks,  and  by  the  time  they  reached  Mc- 
C'lenalian's  the  Pennamites  were  sufficiently  strong  to  awaken  some 
alarm  among  their  opponents.  As  they  approached  the  voting  place 
with  their  flag  flying,  the  liand  playing,  some  in  wagons,  some  on 
horsel)ack  and  some  on  foot,  James  McClenahan  is  said  to  have  made 
tile  in(|uiry:     "Where  in  God's  name  did  all  these  men  come  from?" 

Colonel  Henderson,  the  acknowledged  leader  of  the  opposition, 
was  seated  upon  the  fence,  calmly  watcliing  the  arrival  of  the  Penna- 
mites. When  all  were  assembled  he  mounted  the  "horse-block,"  read 
the  act  of  Legislature  calling  the  election,  and  nominated  Doctor 
Kicliards,  ]McClenahan's  brother-in-law,  for  chairman  of  the  meeting. 
This  pi'oposition  was  promptly  voted  down  by  the  Pennamites,  who 
then  put  forward  tiie  name  of  William  Parks,  who  was  elected  after 
some  confusion.  Then  the  rest  of  the  Moore  and  Brodhead  program 
was  carried  out  with  something  of  the  "steam  roller"  methods  of 
modern  politics.  Whitney  Smith  and  .John  Finley,  tlie  men  pre- 
viously selected,  were  installed  as  judges  of  the  election  and  tlie 
"slate"  went  through  without  a  hitch.  As  soon  as  the  result  of  tlie 
election  was  declared,  the  victors  went  to  the  grove,  where  they  found 
their  horses  and  vehicles  all  safe,  and  then  commenced  a  jubilant 


296  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUXTY 

cleiuunstratioii  over  their  victory.  Says  ^Nlrs.  Shallenberger:  "They 
took  out  their  instruments  of  music  and  flung  their  Hag  to  the  breeze, 
driving  up  and  down  the  road  in  tlie  most  exultant  fashion.  In  the 
first  flush  of  victory  they  surely  forgot  to  be  magnanimous  toward  the 
disappointed.  But  now,  after  tliirty-flve  changeful  years  have  swept 
by,  and  heads  are  Avhite  and  bowed  that  then  carried  the  honors  of 
early  manhood,  jierhaps  too  proudly,  there  are  those  who  remember 
with  a  twinge  of  remorse,  the  bitter  reflection  of  Colonel  Henderson, 

uttered  in  the  moment  of  defeat:     'I  made  the  d d  little  county, 

and  this  is  my  rewai-d."  In  view  of  all  that  he  had  accomplished  for 
us,  they  freely  say,  we  were  ungrateful.  But  they  did  not  reason  thus 
tliat  niglit  in  1839,  but  loading  up  every  straggler  they  could  find, 
commenced  a  sort  of  triumphant  march  toward  ^Vyoming." 

l^pon  arriving  at  AVyoming  the  cavalcade  drew  up  in  front  of 
\N"hitney  Smith's  store,  and  as  many  of  the  men  had  not  eaten  any- 
tliing  since  early  morning,  Mrs.  Smith  began  bustling  about  to  pre- 
pare sometliing  for  them  to  eat.  while  Wliitney  brouglit  out  a 
good-sized  demijohn  filled  with  whisky  to  furnisli  the  "liquid  refresli- 
ments."  While  the  demijohn  was  passing  from  hand  to  hand — or 
rather  from  mouth  to  mouth — among  the  Osceola  men  in  the  wagon, 
some  one  hit  the  horses  a  cut  with  the  whip,  the  purpose  being  to  carry 
off  Smith's  whisky.  But  some  of  the  more  sober  ones  in  the  party 
insisted  that  this  was  not  a  fair  deal  and  that  tlie  demijohn  should  be 
returned  to  its  owner,  to  whom  it  was  explained  that  the  whole  thing- 
was  merely  intended  as  a  joke. 

There  had  been  no  lack  of  whisky  during  the  day  and  the  fresh 
supply  received  at  W\^oming  put  the  men  in  good  shape  to  finish  up 
the  day's  celebration  in  gorgeous  style.  On  the  way  back  to  Osceola 
Grove  thev  stopj^ed  long  enough  to  serenade  several  of  the  settlers, 
receiving  more  to  cat  and  drink.  It  was  almost  daylight  the  next 
morning  when  the  delegation  reached  Osceola  and  some  of  the  best 
citizens  of  that  little  community  did  not  get  the  cobwebs  out  of  their 
brain  all  that  day. 

The  next  year  came  the  presidential  campaign,  when  the  whigs, 
imder  the  leadership  of  Colonel  Henderson,  carried  tlie  county  for 
Gen.  \N'illiam  H.  Harrison  by  a  majority  of  thirty-three  over  ^Martin 
Viiu  Buren,  tlie  democratic  candidate.  The  victory  for  "Old  Tippe- 
canoe," as  General  Harrison  was  fondly  designated,  took  some  of  the 
sting  out  of  the  defeat  at  the  first  county  election  the  year  before. 


HISTORV  OF  STAKK  COUNTY  297 

INDIAN     KKTAI.IATIOX 

AVlien  Henry  Seclcy  built  his  caliiii  ut  "Seelej''s  Point,""  in  what 
is  now  Penn  Townsliip,  in  1834,  some  of  the  Pottawatomi  Indians 
were  still  living  along  Indian  Creek  and  a  jjortion  of  the  tribe  for 
several  years  after  that  date  eanie  regularly  to  winter  at  Walnut 
(irove.  ^Ir.  Seeley  and  his  family  kept  on  good  terms  with  these 
Indians,  and  as  Mr.  Seeley  himself  understood  their  language,  he, 
traded  freely  with  them.  In  183.)  he  raised  a  good  corn  eroj)  and  when 
the  band  came  to  the  winter  quarters  in  the  grove  that  year  he  sold 
them  corn  for  themselves  anfl  ponies.  One  day,  while  ]Mr.  Seeley  was 
attending  to  some  business  in  I'eoria.  an  Inilian  came  to  his  cabin 
with  a  large  sack,  which  he  wanted  filled  with  shelled  corn,  tendering 
a  silver  half  dollar  in  jiayment. 

]\Ji-.  Seeley's  father,  a  man  well  advanced  in  years  and  not  phys- 
ically strong,  was  the  only  man  about  the  place.  After  conferring 
with  his  daughter-in-law  he  decided  that  it  was  better  to  let  the  Indian 
have  the  corn,  although  the  .)()  cents  was  less  than  half  its  valne. 
When  the  sack  was  tilled  the  Indian  threw  it  across  his  pony  and  de- 
parted, no  doubt  langhing  in  his  sleeve  at  the  trick  he  had  ])layed  on  a 
white  man.  A  few  days  later  he  returned  with  the  same  sack,  or  one 
very  much  like  it.  and  another  half  dollar.  But  this  time  Mr.  Seeley 
Mas  at  home.  He  was  not  afraid  of  the  "Big  Injun"  and  j^romptly 
informed  him  that  it  would  take  two  such  coins  to  purchase  the  corn. 
This  time  the  Indian,  not  having  the  requisite  sum  of  money,  was 
compelled  to  return  to  his  people  empty  handed.  ]\Ir.  Seeley  noticed 
that  the  red  man  was  quite  sullen  as  he  mounted  his  pony  and  knew 
that  in  some  way  the  Indian  would  endeavor  to  get  even  for  the  insult. 

About  a  year  later.  Avhile  the  Indians  were  encam])ed  at  Walnut 
Grove,  Mr.  Seeley  and  a  neighbor,  one  of  the  Sturms  boys,  rode  over 
one  day  to  see  how  their  Pottawatomi  friends  were  getting  along.  xVt 
that  time  there  was  a  French  trading  post  not  far  from  the  Indian 
camp,  where  gunpowder  and  whisky  were  among  the  leading  com- 
modities offered  for  sale.  As  Mr.  Seeley  and  his  com])anion  ap- 
proached the  canq>  it  was  plain  to  be  seen  that  the  Indians  had  been  to 
the  trading  post.  The  discoi-dant  shouts  and  yells  told  as  plainly  as 
words  that  the  Indians  were  on  a  sjjree.  while  now  and  then  would  be 
heard  the  report  of  firearms. 

It  was  a  custom  among  the  Indians  that  when  they  wanted  to 
"go  on  a  drunk"  one  man  was  either  drafted  or  volunteered  to  stay 
sober  to  i)revent  the  drunken  ones   from  killing  each  other.     ]\Ir. 


■2dS  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

Seeley  and  his  friend  carried  their  rifies  and  rode  forward  to  the  camp, 
knowing  that  the  sober  Indian  would  probably  be  able  to  control  those 
who  were  druiking,  or,  if  not,  they  could  take  care  of  themselves. 
Upon  entering  the  camp  a  group  of  half-drunken  savages  came  up  to 
them  with  a  small  cask  of  "tire-water"  and  invited  the  white  men  to 
join  them  in  a  social  drink.  Sturms  first  took  the  little  keg  and  held 
it  to  his  mouth  for  a  few  moments  as  though  drinking,  after  which  it 
was  passed  to  ]Mr.  Seeley.  But  just  as  he  was  raising  it  to  his  lips  the 
Indian  to  whom  he  had  refused  the  corn  the  year  before  rusb.ed  out 
of  the  crowd,  snatched  the  keg  and  exclaimed:  "Mean  white  man,  no 
sell  Indian  corn,  he  no  have  fire-water."  The  insult  of  the  preceding- 
year  was  wiped  out. 

\Vhile  all  this  was  taking  place  the  squaws  were  busy  gathering 
and  hiding  the  arms,  for  fear  that  their  men  folks  would  either  assault 
the  white  men,  who  had  been  kind  to  them,  or  injure  each  other  in  a 
drunken  brawl.  The  keg  of  liquor  was  quickly  carried  away  by  the 
roisterers  to  a  neighboring  thicket  and  ^Nlr.  Seeley  rode  away  without 
fear  of  any  further  enmity  on  the  part  of  the  Indian. 

HUXTIXG    IN    EARLY    DAYS 

When  the  first  settlers  came  to  Stark  County  game  of  all  kinds 
was  plentiful  and  the  pioneer  dependetl  more  upon  his  rifie  than  upon 
his  flocks  and  herds  to  furnish  the  family's  supply  of  meat.  Boys 
were  early  taught  to  shoot  and  it  was  no  unusual  thing  for  a  t\\  elve- 
3'ear-old  lad  to  bring  in  a  Avild  tiu'key  or  report  that  he  had  killed  a  deer 
which  was  too  hea\'y  for  him  to  carry.  Among  those  who  achie\ed 
distinction  as  hunters  were  the  Sturms  boys — Henry,  Xicholas,  Sam- 
uel, ^Matthias  and  Simon — all  sons  of  ^Matthias,  who  settled  in  the 
county  in  1834.  Clad  in  rough  frontier  garb  and  armed  with  the  old 
Kentucky  "hammered  barrel,  hair  triggered"  rifle,  they  knew  every 
"deer  lick"  in  the  country  round.  Henry  Sturms  uSed  to  say  that  he 
had  killed  as  many  as  thirty  deer  in  one  week  and  dragged  them  home 
by  tying  them  to  the  tail  of  his  horse. 

They  never  carried  their  rifles  on  Sunday,  and  one  Smulay  morn- 
ing, about  ISio,  while  Henry  Sturms  and  one  of  his  cousins  were  re- 
turning home  from  church,  they  discoA'ered  a  large  buck,  slightly 
wounded,  lying  in  the  water  of  Spoon  River,  where  lie  had  doubtless 
crept  to  conceal  himself  from  his  pursuers.  Henry  leaped  from  a 
blufi^  some  eight  or  ten  feet  high,  landed  squarely  npon  the  buck's 
shoulders,  seized  him  by  the  horns  and  forced  his  nostrils  under  water, 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COl'XTV  299 

holding  liiiu  tlifre  l)y  main  strength  nntil  he  was  almost  suffocated. 
The  (leer  wa's  then  despatched  with  a  heavy  pocket  knife,  such  as  every 
fronliersmaii  usually  carried,  and  the  two  youngsters  dragged  the  deer 
home,  which  was  hut  a  short  distance  from  the  place  where  they  found 
him. 

Rut,  while  deer  and  such  animals  were  hunted  for  food,  there  was 
an  occasional  wolf  hunt  for  the  purpose  of  lessening  the  number  of 
these  animals  that  were  preying  upon  the  few  domestic  animals  of  the 
settlers.  Two  or  three  years  after  Isaac  R.  Essex*  and  his  associates 
settled  along  the  Spoon  River,  in  what  is  now  Essex  Township,  they 
were  invited  to  join  with  those  living  about  Princeville,  Peoria  County, 
in  a  \\()lf  hunt.  Minott  Silliman.  Renjamin  Smith.  David  Cooper, 
the  ^Miners,  Reeds,  Daniel  I'rince  and  several  others  joined  in  the 
hunt  and  a  number  of  wolves  were  killed.  Another  great  wolf  hunt 
was  "pulled  off"  in  18-4.1,  in  which  over  one  hundred  settlers  par- 
ticipated. Harvey  L.  Ross,  while  still  in  his  "teens,"  caught  twelve 
wolves  one  season  in  steel  traps  set  near  the  carcass  of  a  dead  horse. 

EARLY    OUTLAWRY 

In  the  i)receding  chapter  mention  is  made  of  the  INIutual  Protection 
Society,  which  was  organized  to  protect  the  settlers  against  the  depre- 
dations of  baiidits  and  horse  thieves.  The  history  of  every  frontier 
shows  that  such  settlements  have  been  the  resort  of  men  who  would 
rather  live  by  robbery  than  by  honest  labor.  Then  the  reign  of  law 
was  in  its  infancy,  courts  and  prisons  were  at  some  distance  from  the 
"margin  of  civilization,"  and  the  outlaws  stood  a  much  better  chance 
of  escaping  the  clutches  of  the  law.  Kaily  in  the  nineteenth  century 
the  notorious  John  A.  INIurrell  organized  what  was  probably  the  first 
regular  chain  of  horse  thieves  and  highwaymen,  which  extended  from 
the  Ohio  A'alley  to  the  Southern  States,  where  there  was  then  a  great 
demand  for  horses.  A  stolen  horse  could  be  concealed  throughout 
the  day  in  some  convenient  thicket  and  at  night  passed  on  to  the  next 
station  in  the  chain,  until  the  market  was  reached. 

Even  after  the  death  of  ]Murrell,  gangs  contimied  to  operate  in 
Indiana,  Illinois  and  some  of  the  adjoining  states.  John  Driscoll  and 
his  two  sons — William  and  David;  John  Brodie  and  three  of  his 
sons;  Samuel  Aiken  and  his  three  sons;  William  K.  Bridge  and  Nor- 
ton R.  Rovce:  .Tack  and  William  Britt,  were  some  of  the  gang  leaders 
that  managed  the  affairs  of  the  outlaws  about  the  time  Stark  County 
was  settled.    They  were  the  men  who  planned  the  robberies,  jirovided 


300  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

alibis  for  tiiose  mIio  were  so  unfortunate  as  to  be  arrested,  furnished 
liiding  places  for  the  stolen  booty,  laid  out  the  route  the  stolen  horse 
was  to  be  taken,  concealed  the  members  of  the  gang  from  the  officers 
(jf  the  law,  and  sometimes  took  a  hand  in  the  robberies  themselves. 

Some  twenty-five  or  thirty  years  ago,  W.  H.  xVdams,  in  one  of  his 
'Tioneer  Reminiscences,"  published  in  the  Brimlield  News,  tells  of 
three  men  who  came  to  John  LafFerty's  in  April,  1838,  pretending  that 
they  were  looking  for  land.  3Ir.  Lafterty  had  come  from  Ohio  two 
years  before  and  located  in  Knox  County,  not  far  from  the  present 
boundary  of  Stark.  On  the  night  of  JNIay  1,  1838,  the  "land  buyers" 
disappeared  and  the  next  morning  JNIr.  Lafferty  discovered  that  a 
team  of  fine  black  horses  he  ow^ned  was  missing.  About  the  same 
time  John  INIiller,  Sewell  Smith  and  Robert  Colwell  reported  that 
they  had  lost  horses.  A  posse  was  soon  organized  to  trace  the  thie\es. 
The  balance  of  the  story  is  thus  told  by  JNIr.  Adams : 

"jNleantime  one  Roantree,  of  Henderson  Grove,  arrived  at  ^lil- 
ler's  house  Avith  the  information  that  two  horses  were  in  charge  of  a 
boy  at  Washburn's  Grove.  John  McCoy  was  sent  to  investigate, 
identified  the  horses  as  Lafferty's,  and  then  started  in  search  of  the 
posse,  meeting  them  on  the  way  to  "Washburn's.  Arriving  there,  they 
relieved  the  boy  of  the  horses  and  began  making  preparations  to  hang 
him.  The  boy  was  greatly  alarmed,  of  course,  and  Mr.  ^liller,  taking 
advantage  of  his  fright,  led  him  to  one  side  and  promised  to  intercede 
for  him  if  he  would  give  information  that  would  lead  to  the  capture 
of  the  thieves.  This  the  young  fellow-  was  glad  to  do.  and  when  (pies- 
tioned  by  Lafferty  and  Cohvell,  told  tliem  that  the  rendezvous  was  in 
the  Wiimebago  swamp.  That  niglit  the  party  started  for  the  swamp, 
taking  the  boy  with  them  to  act  as  guide,  and  about  daylight  came  to 
a  spot  near  the  rendezvous.  Just  before  sunrise  one  of  the  robbers 
came  out  of  the  brush  hut  and  was  captured  by  John  ]Miller.  Two 
others,  alarmed  by  the  scuffle,  jumped  from  the  hut  and  attempted  to 
make  their  escape,  but  were  overtaken  and  captm-ed. 

"The  horses  and  saddles  were  then  collected  and  the  victors  and 
\anquished  proceeded  to  another  grove  to  try  the  robbers.  The  court 
was  organized,  the  boy's  statement  was  noted,  each  of  the  settlers 
identified  his  horses,  after  which  a  vote  was  taken  upon  the  guilt  or 
innocence  of  the  prisoners.  The  verdict  was  unanimous  in  favor  of 
their  guilt  and  the  trio  were  hanged.  At  Spring  Creek,  on  tlie  way 
home,  the  posse  was  fired  upon  by  friends  of  the  men  they  had  just 
executed,  but  no  one  was  hurt.  The  fire  was  returned  liriskly  and 
thus  ended  the  adventure  of  the  earlv  davs  of  ]Mav,  1838. 


HISTORY'  OF  STARK  COUNTY  301 

"In  June  following.  C'olwcll,  Joe  Druniniond  and  sonic  others 
happened  to  pass  that  way  and  one  ol'  the  party  called  attention  to 
three  bodies  swinyini'-  from  the  hraneh  of  a  tree.  Col  well  said:  '1 
wonder  if  them  aint  Injuns  hung  by  the  whites  during  the  Rlaek 
Hawk  war?'  Druniniond.  turning  to  him,  said:  'Uad,  them's  horse 
thieves;  you  didn't  shoot  'em.  you  hung  'em.'  to  which  Colwell  merely 
replied:  '1  guess  they're  dead.'  and  the  party  left  the  scene  of  the 
tragedy." 

Once  or  twice  a  year,  owing  to  the  amount  of  business  done  by  the 
gang,  an  "ad.iuster"  would  pass  up  the  Spoon  River  \'alley  to  ])ay 
each  member  of  the  gang  his  share  of  the  ill-gotten  gains.  Charles  S. 
I*ayne.  of  Wyoming,  freciucntly  saw  this  man  and  dcscrilied  him  as 
"a  gentleman  of  very  solemn  demeanor,  wearing  green  spectacles,  and 
talked  very  little." 

JNIr.  Adams  also  relates  another  incident  of  an  attemjJted  robbery 
in  18-i4..  A  trader  named  Smith,  located  at  Rochester,  had  about  two 
hundred  cattle,  which  he  wanted  taken  to  the  Ciiicago  market.  As 
there  were  no  railroads  at  that  time,  he  employed  .roliii  Emery,  a 
member  of  one  of  Stark  County's  pioneer  families,  to  drive  the  cattle 
across  the  country.  iVecoiiipanied  by  John  Pratz,  Michael  Smith  and 
Elias  I.afFerty,  ]Mr.  Kmery  started  for  Chicago  with  the  cattle.  At 
the  old  tavern  known  as  tiie  Nine  31ile  Ilt)use,  on  the  Desplaiiies 
Ri\'er,  he  sold  a  part  of  the  herd,  receiving  therefor  $200  in  gold  coin. 
Fi)on  reaching  Chicago  he  found  out  that  he  could  sell  the  cattle  to 
better  advantage  by  having  them  slaughtered  and  disposing  of  the 
dressed  beef.  Smith.  Prat/  and  Lafferty  returned  home,  leaving 
Kmery  in  Chicago. 

\Vliile  all  this  was  going  on  some  of  the  Rritt  gang  were  watching 
JNIr.  P^mery's  movements.  When  his  companions  left  him  alone  in 
Ciiicago  the  Britts  surmised  that  he  would  travel  home  alone  after  the 
cattle  were  sold,  carrying  the  money  w  itii  him.  and  began  making  their 
preparations  to  relieve  him  of  it.  The  cattle  were  slaughtered,  the 
meat  sold,  and  Mr.  Kmery.  with  the  $'2()()  in  gold  and  $1,100  in  paper 
currency,  started  for  Rochester.  The  first  night  out  he  i)assed  at  the 
Nine  Mile  House,  where  he  met  Jack  and  Rill  IJritt.  The  next  morn- 
ing Kmery  and  the  two  Britts  rode  together  to  Paw  Paw  Grove, 
where  Jack  stopped  while  Kmery  and  Hill  rode  on  to  Princeton, 
where  they  passed  the  night.  At  I'rinceton  Mr.  Kmery  was  intro- 
duced to  a  woman  and  her  son.  from  Meadville.  Pa.,  who  were  on  iheir 
way  to  Carson  Berfield's,  in  Stark  County,  and  offered  to  guide  them 
the  rest  of  the  w^ay. 


302  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

That  evening  two  htrangers,  well  dressed  and  mounted  upon  tine 
horses,  arrived  at  the  hotel  in  Princeton.  They  were  the  two  members 
of  the  gang  assigned  to  the  work  of  getting  JNIr.  Emery's  money.  Not 
being  apjjrised  of  the  arrangement  that  had  been  made  between  JMr. 
Emei-y  and  the  woman,  the  t^vo  highwaymen  were  surprised  the  next 
morning  to  see  a  carriage  drawn  up  in  front  and  31r.  Emery's  horse 
saddled  ready  for  the  start.  They  hurried  to  the  stable  and  saddled 
their  own  horses,  but  were  again  surprised  to  see  the  lady  and  her  son 
come  out  of  the  hotel  and  greet  INlr.  Emery  as  an  accpiaintance.  After 
she  had  stepped  into  the  carriage  she  asked  the  cattle  drover  to  hand 
her  his  satchel  and  overcoat,  which  he  did,  and  then  turned  to  mount 
his  horse.  Just  then  the  two  would-be  robbers  appeared  upon  the 
scene.  It  seems  that  the  landlady,  suspicious  of  the  two  well  dressed 
strangers,  had  warned  Mr.  Emery  and  told  some  of  the  guests  of  her 
suspicions.  These  guests  were  now  on  hand  to  see  what  was  going  to 
happen.  When  JNlr.  Emery  gave  the  woman  in  the  carriage  his  over- 
coat and  satchel,  one  of  the  robbers  asked:  "Are  you  going  with 
them  folks  r' 

]Mr.  Emery  answered  in  the  affirmative  and  then  drawing  his 
money  from  his  pocket  said:  "Here  is  over  one  thousand  dollars  in 
pajier,  and  here  (drawing  a  purse  from  another  pocket)  are  $"2()0 
in  gold.  I  would  like  to  see  you  try  to  get  it.  As  soon  as  you  came  in 
last  night  I  saw  bv  Bill  Britt's  actions  what  vom-  business  was  and 
knew  who  set  you  dirty,  contemptible,  thieving  skunks  on  my  track, 
^'ou  can  follow  me  if  you  think  it  will  be  healthy,  or  you  can  go  back 
to  Paw  Paw  Grove  and  tell  Jack  Bi-itt  that  you  failed  to  get  m>- 
money.    Then  you  and  the  Britts  can  all  go  to  hell  together." 

As  ]Mr.  Emery  uttered  the  last  words  he  swung  himself  into  his 
saddle,  gallantly  lifted  his  hat  to  the  assembled  guests  in  front  of  the 
hotel  and  rode  away,  the  carriage  following.  The  two  crestfallen 
bandits  watched  him  for  a  few  minutes  and  then  departed  in  the  oppo- 
site direction.  IMr.  Emery  reached  Rochester  in  good  time  and  turned 
the  money  over  to  his  em])loyer. 

THE   MORJIOX    PROPHET 

It  may  not  be  generally  known  to  the  peo])le  of  Stark  County 
that  Joseph  Smith,  the  founder  and  first  prophet  of  the  IMormon 
Church,  was  captured  in  this  county  a  short  time  before  his  tragic 
death  in  the  jail  at  Carthage,  the  county  seat  of  Hancock  County,  111. 
Wlun  the  ^Mormons  were  driven  from  ^lissouri  thev  went  to  a  bcauti- 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUXTY  303 

fill  bluff,  overlooking  the  JMississij^pi  River,  in  Hancock  County, 
where  they  founded  the  City  of  Xauvoo.  Robberies  and  murders 
committed  in  Iowa  were  traced  to  Mormons  and  the  people  along  the 
]\Jississippi  in  that  state  and  Illinois  began  to  clamor  for  their  re- 
moval. ^Matters  finally  grew  so  hot  that  in  the  earlj^  spring  of  184-t 
Joseph  Smith  and  his  brother  Hyrum  sought  safety  in  flight. 

AVorking  tlieir  way  northeastward,  they  reached  the  old  state  road 
running  through  Cioshen  Township.  On  this  road  was  a  sehoolhouse 
that  overlooked  the  old  Indian  camp  on  Indian  Creek.  One  morning 
at  recess  a  fine  ci)vered  carriage  drawn  by  a  team  of  beautifid  gray 
horses  drew  up  in  front  of  the  sehoolhouse.  In  the  carriage  were  two 
men.  both  wearing  silk  hats  and  showing  other  evidences  of  ])rosperity. 
who  iiujuired  the  way  to  Osceola.  Ahneron  ^NI.  Harris,  afterward  a 
captain  in  a  ^Missouri  regiment  in  the  Civil  war,  was  one  of  the  scholars 
who  happened  to  know  the  road  to  Osceola.  Covered  carriages  were 
rare  in  those  days  and  the  school  children  spent  some  time  in  specu- 
lating who  the  rich  gentlemen  were  who  could  afford  such  a  turnout. 
*  Xot  long  after  the  carriage  had  passed  the  pursuing  officers  ar- 

rived and  also  made  inquiries  at  the  sehoolhouse.  Young  Harris 
described  the  men  and  the  carriage,  and  directed  the  officers  to  Osceola. 
That  afternoon  they  returned  with  the  two  Smiths  as  prisoners.  They 
were  taken  back  to  Carthage,  confined  in  jail  to  await  trial,  and  on 
tlie  night  of  June  27,  1844,  the  two  brothers  were  assassinated.  The 
death  of  .Toseph  Smith  left  the  ^lormon  Church  in  a  disorganized 
condition  for  a  time,  Imt  a  new  prophet  was  chosen  and  the  IMornions 
took  up  their  march  for  Utah,  where  they  founded  Salt  Lake  City. 
It  is  not  certain  why  the  fugitives  were  inquiring  for  Osceola,  though 
it  may  have  been  that  they  expected  to  find  friends  there  who  would 
keep  them  concealed  until  it  would  be  safe  for  them  to  leave  the  coun- 
try. If  such  a  "friend"  dwelt  at  Osceola  he  kept  his  own  counsel  and 
nobody  ever  found  out  his  identity. 

A   POLITICAL   ECHO 

About  a  year  after  the  l)eginning  of  the  Civil  war  an  organization 
of  Southern  sym])athizers  grew  up  in  the  X'^orth.  This  society,  or 
secret  order,  was  known  by  various  names,  such  as  "Knights  of  the 
Golden  Circle,"  "Sons  of  Liberty,"  etc.  Along  the  Ohio  River,  in 
Southern  Illinois  and  Indiana,  the  order  flourished,  but  farther  north 
its  members  were  not  so  numerous.  In  September,  1876.  a  Mi-iter  in 
I     the  Chicago  Tribune  gave  what  purported  to  be  a  histoiy  of  this 


304  HISTOKY  OF  STARK  COL'XTV 

organization.  Acconlino-  to  his  account  tlie  Sons  of  liberty  in  Illinois 
had  a  Avell  concerted  plan  to  cai)ture  Camp  Douglas  in  Xoveniber, 
1864,  release  and  arm  the  Confederate  prisoners  confined  there,  and 
"carry  the  war  into  tlie  enemy's  country."  The  writer  named  several 
prominent  men  of  Illinois  who  were  interested  in  the  above  plan, 
among  them  being  ^Martin  Shallenberger,  of  Toulon.  As  a  plain 
matter  of  fact,  the  writer  of  that  so-called  history  of  the  Knights  of 
the  Golden  Circle  had  evidently  not  made  a  very  thorough  investiga- 
tion of  the  facts,  for  none  of  the  men  he  mentioned  entertained  any 
idea  of  such  action.  It  was  but  an  echo  of  days  when  sectional  and 
political  feeling  ran  high,  when  neighbor  was  arrayed  against  neigh- 
bor, and  rumor  as  to  the  treasonable  inclinations  of  this  or  that 
individual  was  prevalent  all  over  the  North. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 
STATISTICAL    REVIEW 

POPULATION  AT  EACH  UNITED  STATES  CENSUS — CONSTITUTIONAL  CON- 
VENTIONS  CONGKESSION.U.    UISTKICTS GENERAL    ASSEJIBLY HOW 

STAKK  HAS  liEEN  HEPKESENTED  IN  THE  LEGISLATURE — OFIICIAL  ROS- 
TER  LIST  OF  PUBLIC  OFFICIALS  SINCE   1839 VOTE   FOR   PRESIDENT 

AT    EACH    ELECTION    SINCE    1840 — SUMMARY    OF    THE    PRINCIPAL 
EVENTS  CONNECTED  WITH  THE  COUNTy's  HISTORY. 

Illinois  was  organized  as  a  territory  under  the  laws  of  the  United 
States  in  1809,  and  December  3,  1918,  will  witness  the  close  of  her  fii-st 
century  of  statehood.  Since  the  organization  of  the  territory,  the 
growth  in  population,  according  to  the  United  States  census  reports, 


e 


is  shown  in  the  following  table 


o 


1810  12,282 

1820 rj.),162 

1830 1.57,4'45 

18-tO 476,183 

18.50 851,470 

1860 1,711.9.51 

1870 2,.539.801 

1880 3,077,871 

1800 3,826,3.51 

1900 4,821,.550 

1910 5,638..591 

Four  score  and  six  years  have  passed  since  Isaac  B.  Essex  built  his 
humble  cabin  about  three  miles  southwest  of  the  present  City  of 
Wyoming,  and  thus  established  the  first  Avhite  man's  domicile  within 
the  confines  of  what  is  now  Stark  Comity,  and  more  than  three-quar- 
tei's  of  a  century  have  elapsed  since  the  county  was  organized  under 
the  ju-ovisions  of  the  act  of  the  Illinois  Legislature,  approved  on 
JSIarch  2,  1839.    The  first  United  States  census  taken  after  the  comity 

305 


306  HISTOKV  OF  STARK  COUNT Y 

was  organized  was  in  1840.    Since  that  time  the  orowth  in  popuhition 
has  been  as  follows: 

1840 1,57a 

18.)0 3,T10 

18(J0 9,004 

18T0 10,7.51 

1880 11,209 

1890 9,982 

1900 10,18(i 

1910 10,098 

From  this  table  it  will  be  seen  that  the  greatest  proportionate 
increase  in  any  one  decade  was  from  1840  to  18.50,  when  the  growth 
in  the  nnml)er  of  inhabitants  was  from  1,.)73  to  8,710,  or  nearly  three- 
fold. Twice  in  the  history  of  the  county  there  has  been  a  decline  dur- 
ing a  census  decade — once  from  1880  to  1890  and  again  from  1900 
to  1910.  The  decrease  in  population  during  these  periods  is  due 
chiefly  to  the  opening  of  new  government  lands  in  other  parts  of  the 
country,  which  offered  inducements  to  men  of  moderate  means  to 
acquire  homes  and  farms  of  their  own  with  a  less  outlay  of  capital. 
Just  as  between  the  years  1840  and  18(50,  when  land  was  cheap  in 
Illinois,  other  states  contributed  to  her  growth,  so  she  in  turn  con- 
tributed to  the  growth  of  other  sections  of  tlie  country  that  ]n-esented 
such  opportunities  as  were  found  here  in  Stark  County  during  the 
twenty  yeai's  immediately  i^receding  the  Civil  ^\ar.  The  decrease  in 
population  between  the  years  1900  and  1910  affected  all  parts  of  the 
county  about  alike,  as  may  be  seen  by  a  comparison  of  the  last  three 
official  census  reports,  given  by  townships,  to-wit ; 

Township  1890 

Elmira    884 

Essex    1,210 

Goshen 1,017 

Osceola 1,484 

Penn 1,022 

Toulon   2,.j79 

Valley 810 

West  Jersey  976 


1900 

1910 

89.3 

841 

1,188 

1,131 

1,212 

1,145 

1,663 

1,577 

998 

931 

2,.553 

2,834 

788 

821 

891 

818 

Total 9,982  10.180  10.098 


IIISTOUV  OF  STARK  COUNTY  ao7 

Tlie  peoi)lc  oi"  Stai'k  County  liavt-  no  fuusc  For  liiiniiliation  in  tlie 
decrease  in  tlie  niiinhei-  of  inliahitants.  Fifty  eounties  in  the  state 
showed  a  decrease  between  the  years  1!)00  and  1!)U)  and  in  some  of 
them  the  decrease  was  two  thousand  or  more.  In  the  counties  in 
which  hirge  cities  are  located  the  census  shows  an  increase,  evidence 
that  in  recent  years  there  is  a  tendency  among  the  people  to  crowd 
into  the  cities,  and  in  Stark  County  tlie  cities  of  Toulon  and  Wyo- 
ming both  show  an  increase  in  tlie  number  of  inhabitants  during  the 
census  period.  Notwithstanding  the  falling  off"  in  population,  the 
wealth  of  the  county  has  not  decreased,  the  taxable  value  of  the  prop- 
erty and  the  agricultural  products  for  the  year  1914  showing  that  in 
these  respects  Stark  County  has  more  than  held  her  own. 

CONSTITUTIONAL    CONVENTIONS 

The  first  constitution  of  Illinois — the  one  under  which  the  state 
was  admitted  in  1818 — was  adoi)ted  twenty-one  years  before  Stark 
County  was  organizx'd.  It  remained  the  organic  law  of  the  state  until 
a  second  constitutional  convention  was  ordered  by  the  Legislature  in 
1847.  In  that  convention  the  district  composed  of  Stark  and  INIar- 
shall  counties  was  represented  l)y  Henry  D.  Palmer.  The  convention 
assembled  at  Springfield  on  June  7.  1847.  and  remained  in  session 
until  the  last  day  of  iVugust.  The  constitution  was  ratified  by  the 
people  at  an  election  on  INIarch  (>,  1848,  the  vote  in  Stark  County 
being  233  to  84  in  favor  of  the  new  constitution,  which  liecame  eff'ective 
on  April  1.  1848. 

Another  constitutional  convention  met  at  S])ringfield  on  January 
7,  18(;2.  and  completed  its  labors  on  the  24tli  of  March  following. 
Peoria  and  Stark  counties  formed  a  district,  which  was  represented 
in  tlie  convention  by  .lulius  IManning  and  Xorman  H.  Purple.  The 
constitution  framed  by  this  convention  was  rejected  by  the  ])eo])le  at 
an  election  held  on  June  17,  18(12.  In  Stark  County  the  vote  was  il93 
for  rejection  to  485  for  ratification. 

The  present  constitution  of  the  state  was  adopted  l)y  a  convention 
which  assembled  at  S])ringfield  on  December  13,  18(i!),  and  adjourned 
sine  die  on  INI  ay  13.  1870.  For  this  convention  the  state  was  divided 
into  sixty-one  districts,  from  which  eighty-five  delegates  were  chosen. 
The  counties  of  Peoria  and  Stark  again  formed  a  delegate  district, 
which  was  represented  by  Henry  W.  Wells  and  INIiles  A.  Fidler. 
The  constitution  was  ratified  liy  the  ])eo])le  on  July  2,  1870.  and  be- 
came eff'ective  on  the  8th  of  iVugust  following.  Stark  County  cast 
f)00  votes  in  favor  of  the  constitution  and  bnlv  0.5  in  the  negative. 


308  HISTOKY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

CONGRESSIONAL   DISTKICTS 

When  Stark  County  was  cmited  in  1839  the  State  of  Hhnois  was 
divided  into  three  Congressional  (Hstricts.  Putnam  County,  from 
whieh  the  greater  part  of  Stark  was  taken,  was  one  of  twenty-tuo 
counties  comprising  the  Third  District,  consequently  Stark  became  a 
part  of  that  district  and  remained  so  until  the  apportionment  under 
the  act  (jf  ]March  1,  1843,  when  the  state  was  divided  into  seven  districts. 

Under  this  apportionment  Stark,  Jo  Daviess,  Stephenson.  AVin- 
nebago.  Carroll,  Ogle.  Lee,  Whiteside,  Rock  Island,  Henry,  fiercer, 
Henderson,  Warren,  Knox,  McDonough  and  Hancock  constituted 
the  Sixth  District. 

The  census  of  1850  showed  that  the  state  was  entitled  to  nine  rep- 
resentatives in  Congress,  and  by  the  act  of  August  22,  18.52.  the 
Legislature  api)ortioned  or  divided  Illinois  into  nine  districts.  The 
Fourth  District  was  composed  of  Fulton,  Henry,  Knox,  INIarshall, 
Mason,  fiercer,  Peoria,  Stark,  Tazewell,  Warren  and  Woodford. 

By  the  act  of  April  24,  1861,  the  state  was  divided  into  thirteen 
districts,  Stark  beconn'ng  a  part  of  the  Fifth,  which  was  composed  of 
Bureau,  Henry,  Knox,  ^Marshall,  Peoria,  Putnam  and  Stark.  It  was 
afterward  discovered  that  the  census  of  1800  entitled  the  state  to 
fourteen  representatives  and  the  erroi-  in  the  apportionment  act  was 
corrected  by  electing  one  congressman  from  the  state  at  large. 

The  census  of  1870  showed  that  Illinois  was  entitled  to  nineteen 
contiressmen.  Bv  the  act  of  July  1,  1872,  nineteen  districts  were 
created,  the  first  election  under  the  new  apportionment  occurring  in 
November  of  that  year.  The  Ninth  District  under  this  act  consisted 
of  the  counties  of  Fulton,  Knox.  Peoria  and  Stark. 

Another  representative  was  added  by  the  census  of  1880  and  on 
April  29,  1882,  the  Illinois  Legislature  passed  an  act  dividing  the 
state  into  twenty  districts.  No  change  was  made  in  the  boundaries  of 
the  district  in  which  Stark  was  situated,  but  the  number  was  changed 
to  the  Tenth  instead  of  the  Ninth. 

Twenty-two  congressmen  were  given  to  Illinois  by  the  census  of 
1890  and  the  state  was  accordingly  divided  into  twenty-two  districts 
by  the  act  of  June  9,  1893.  Under  this  apportionment  the  Tenth 
District  was  made  to  consist  of  the  counties  of  Ilein-y,  Knox,  ^Nlerccr. 
Rock  Island,  Stark  and  AA^oodford.  The  first  election  was  in  Novem- 
ber, 1894. 

The  last  and  present  apportionment  was  made  by  the  act  of  May 
13,  1901,  when  twentv-five  districts  were  estal)lishe<l.     This  a])i)or- 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  300 

tionmeut  places  Stark  in  the  Sixteenth  District,  along  with  Bnreau, 
JNlarshali,  Peoria,  Putnam  and  Tazewell.  The  census  of  1910  gave 
the  state  twenty-seven  congressmen  and  in  1912  two  members  were 
elected  from  the  state  at  large. 

THE    GENERAL    ASSEMBLY 

In  the  Eleventh  General  Assembly,  which  passed  the  act  creating 
the  County  of  Stark,  William  H.  Henderson  was  a  member  of  the 
lower  house  and  is  accredited  to  Riu-eau  County  in  the  official  records, 
though  his  home  was  within  the  limits  of  Stark.  Colonel  Henderson 
was  also  elected  to  the  Twelfth  General  Assembly  in  18-10  and  in  this 
session  was  accredited  to  Putnam  County. 

Section  0,  Article  3,  of  the  constitution  of  1848  provided  that  "The 
Senate  shall  consist  of  twenty-five  members,  and  the  House  of  Repre- 
sentatix cs  of  seventy-five  members,  until  the  population  of  the  state 
sliall  amount  to  1,000, 000  of  souls,  when  five  members  may  be  added 
to  the  house  and  five  additional  members  for  every  .)00,000  inhabitants 
thereafter,  until  the  whole  number  of  representatives  shall  amount  to 
100;  after  which,  the  number  shall  neither  be  increased  nor  diminished; 
to  be  ai)portioned  among  the  several  counties  according  to  the  number 
of  wliitc  inhabitants.  In  all  future  ajjportionments.  where  more  than 
one  county  shall  be  thrown  into  a  repi'esentative  district,  all  the  repre- 
sentatives to  which  said  counties  may  be  entitled  shall  be  elected  by 
the  entire  district." 

Section  40  of  the  same  article  apportioned  the  representation  in 
the  General  Assembly  at  twenty-five  senators  and  seventy-five  repre- 
sentatives, and  another  section  provided  that  an  apportiomnent  shoidd 
be  made  to  l)ecome  effective  in  18.5.5,  and  every  tenth  year  thereafter. 
In  the  apportionment  of  1848  the  Nineteenth  Senatorial  District  was 
com])osed  of  the  counties  of  Henry,  IMercer.  Knox,  Rock  Island.  Stark 
and  Warren;  and  the  Forty-third  Representative  District  of  the 
counties  of  Henry,  Rock  Island  and  Stark,  which  was  entitled  to  one 
representative. 

In  the  first  session  of  tlie  General  Assembly  imder  this  apportion- 
ment, which  convened  at  Springfield  on  Jamiary  1,  1840,  John  Denny, 
of  Knox  County,  was  senator,  and  Joliii  W.  Henderson,  of  Stark, 
representative.  From  that  time  until  tlie  next  apportionment,  the 
district  was  represented  as  follows:  18,50,  John  Denny,  senator; 
.Tames  "SI.  Allen,  of  Henry,  representative:  18.52.  Renjamin  Graham, 
of  Hemy,  senator;  A\'illiam  Marshall,  of  Rock  Island,  representative. 

A  new  apportionment  was  made  by  the  act  of  February  27,  18.54, 


31U  HISTOKY  OF  STAKK  COLM'V 

under  which  representatives  and  senators  were  elected  in  the  autumn 
of  that  year.  Xo  change  was  made  in  the  Senatorial  District,  except 
that  it  was  made  the  Ninth  instead  of  the  Nineteenth,  but  Peoria  and 
Stark  counties  were  made  to  constitute  the  Forty-tirst  Representative 
District,  which  was  given  two  members  of  the  lower  branch  of  the 
Legislature.  During  the  life  of  this  apportionment  the  district  was 
represented  as  follows:  18o.5,  Benjamin  Graham,  senator:  Henry 
Grove,  of  Peoria,  and  Thomas  J.  Henderson,  of  Stark,  representa- 
tives; 1857.  Thomas  J.  Henderson,  senator;  ^Martin  Shallenberger, 
of  Stark,  and  John  T.  Lindsey,  of  Peoria,  representatives:  1S.59, 
Thomas  J.  Henderson,  senator;  Myrtle  G.  Brace,  of  Stark,  and 
Thomas  C.  Moore,  of  Peoria,  representatives;  1861,  Thomas  J.  I'ick- 
ctt.  of  Rock  Island,  senator;  Elbridge  G.  Johnson,  of  Peoria,  and 
Theodore  F.  Hurd,  of  Stark,  representatives. 

By  the  act  of  January  31.  1801,  the  state  was  divided  into  ilistricts 
for  twenty-five  senators  and  eighty-five  representatives.  The  Six- 
teenth Senatorial  District  was  composed  of  the  counties  of  ]Marshall, 
Peoria,  Putnam  and  Stark,  and  the  Thirty-sixth  Representative  Dis- 
trict of  Peoria'  and  Stark  counties.  Under  this  aiijKirtionmcnt  the 
members  from  the  districts  were  as  follows: 

Senators— John  T.  I.indsey,  of  Peoria,  1863;  Greenbury  L.  Fort, 
of  ^Marshall,  1867.  Reiwesentatives — James  Holgate,  of  Stark,  and 
William  W.  O'Brien,  of  Peoria,  1863:  Richard  C.  Dunn,  of  Stark, 
and  Alexander  3IcCoy.  of  Peoria,  186.5:  Sylvester  F.  Ottman,  of 
Stark,  and  Thomas  C.  ]Moore.  of  Peoria.  1867;  Bradford  F.  Thomp- 
son, of  Stark,  and  William  E.  Phelps,  of  Peoria,  1809. 

The  constitution  of  1870  provided  that  the  governor  and  secretai-y 
of  state  should  fix  the  apportionment  for  members  of  the  General 
Assembly,  under  certain  restrictions  regarding  population,  etc.  Only 
one  session  of  the  Legislature  was  held  under  this  apportionment — 
that  elected  in  the  fall  of  1870 — in  which  the  Sixteenth  Senatorial 
District,  composed  of  :Marsliall.  Peoria.  Putnam  and  Stark  counties, 
was  reiiresented  liy  INIark  Bangs,  of  ^Marshall,  and  Lucien  H.  Kerr, 
of  Peoria.  Stark  County  alone  constituted  the  Seventy-fourth  Rep- 
resentative District,  and  was  represented  by  INIiles  A.  Fuller. 

By  the  act  of  :March  1,  1872,  the  state  was  divided  into  fifty-one 
districts,  each  of  which  was  entitled  to  one  senator  and  three  re])re- 
sentatives.  the  counties  of  Bureau  and  Stark  constituting  the  Six- 
teenth District.  During  the  ten  years  this  apportionment  lasted,  the 
following  members  of  the  General  Assembly  were  elected  from  this 
district: 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  ill 

Senators— Lorenzo  D.  Whiting,  of  Bureau,  1872— re-elected  in 
1876  and  1880.  Representatives— 1872,  J.  R.  :Mulvane  and  Miuk  R. 
Dewey,  of  Bureau;  Cyrus  Bocock.  of  Stark;  1874.,  J.  II.  iSloore  and 
J.  J.  ilerron,  of  Bureau;  A.  G.  Ilanmiond,  of  Stark;  187().  Charles 
Bahhvin  and  J.  J.  Ilerron,  of  Bureau;  Daniel  J.  Iluril  of  Stark; 
1878.  Alfred  G.  Scott  and  Simon  Elliott,  of  Bureau,  Sylvester  l'\ 
Ottnian,  of  Stark;  1880,  John  II.  Welsh  and  Charles  Baldwin,  o\' 
Bureau:  Sylvester  F.  Ottnian,  of  Stark. 

liureau,  Putnam  an<l  Stark  counties  were  placed  in  the  Twenty- 
fifth  District  hy  tlie  apportiomnent  act  of  May  6,  1882.  the  district 
l)eing  entitled  to  one  senator  and  three  representatives.  ^lenihers  of 
the  General  Assemhly  under  this  ai)portionment  were  as  follows: 

Senators — Lorenzo  D.  Whiting,  1882;  Edward  A.  Washhurn,  of 
Bureau,  1886;  Louis  Zearing,  of  Bureau,  1890.  Representatives — 
1882,' James  T.  Thornton,  of  Putnam;  John  H.  Welsh,  of  Bureau; 
Jolm  Lackie,  of  Stark;  1884.,  Alhert  W.  Boyden.  of  Bureau;  Eli  V. 
Raley.  of  Putnam;  James  H.  ^Miller,  of  Stark;  1886,  Sterling  Pom- 
eroy  and  Anthony  ^lorrisey,  of  Bureau;  James  H.  ]Miller  of  Stark; 
1888,  Anthony  JNIorrisey  and  Peter  jNIcCall,  of  Bureau;  James  H. 
3Iiller,  of  Stark;  1890,  ^Michael  Barton,  of  Bureau;  Archihald  W. 
IIo])kins.  of  Putnam.  Samuel  White,  of  Stark;  1892.  JNIichael  Barton, 
of  Bureau;  Archibald  W.  Hopkins,  of  Putnam;  George  jNIurray,  of 
Stark. 

A  new  appoitionment  was  made  by  the  act  of  June  15,  1893,  which 
])laced  Bureau,  Putnam,  Stark  and  Whiteside  counties  in  the  Thirty- 
first  District,  with  one  senator  and  three  representatives.  Following 
is  a  list  of  the  members  of  the  General  Assembly  w^ho  served  from 
this  (Hstrict  under  the  apportionment  of  189.3: 

Senators — 1894,  James  W.  Templeton,  of  Bureau,  avIio  was  re- 
elected in  1898.  Representatives — 1894.,  William  M.  Pilgrim  and 
George  :Mnrray,  of  Stark;  J.  W.  White,  of  Whiteside;  1896,  George 
JNIurray,  of  Stark;  Jerry  W.  Dineen  and  Caleb  C.  Jolinson,  of  AVhite- 
side;  1898,  Alfred  N.  Abbott,  of  Whiteside;  INIichael  Kennedy,  of 
Bureau;  Arc]iil)ald  W.  Hopkins,  of  Putnam;  1900.  Allen  P.  JNIiller, 
of  Stark;  Alfred  X.  Abl)ott  and  Edward  Devine.  of  Whiteside. 

An  apportionment  act  passed  by  the  General  Assemhly  and  ap- 
proved on  January  11,  1898,  was  declared  unconstitutional,  so  that 
the  next  legal  apportionment  was  that  made  by  the  act  of  May  10. 
1901.  which  is  still  the  law  regidating  the  membership  of  the  Legis- 
lature. Under  this  act  the  counties  of  Bureau.  Henry  and  Stark  were 
erected  into  the  Thirty-seventh  District,  with  one  senator  and  three 


312  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUXTV 

rejJi't'.st'iitatives.     The  lisit  of  nienibers  from  tliis  district  includes  the 
following: 

Senators — James  \V.  Templeton,  of  Bureau,  1902;  B.  Frank 
Baker,  of  Henry,  1900;  Hugh  S.  ^Nlagill,  of  Buicau.  1910;  C.  C.  Per- 
vicr,  of  Bureau,  1914.  Representatives — 1902,  James  E.  Xoyes,  of 
Stark;  James  K.  Blish  and  Nathaniel  W.  Tibhets,  of  Henry;  1904, 
James  E.  Noyes,  of  Stark;  James  E.  Dabler,  of  Bureau;  Nathaniel 
W.  Tibbetts,  of  Henry;  1906,  Francis  J.  Liggett,  of  Stark;  Clayton 
C.  Pervier,  of  Bureau;  William  J.  JNIcGuire,  of  Henry;  1908.  Francis 
J.  Liggett,  of  Stark;  Clayton  C.  Pervier,  of  Bureau;  William  J. 
INIcGuire,  of  Henry;  1910,  Clayton  C.  Pervier,  of  Bvn-ean;  \Villiam 
J.  ]McGuire  and  John  R.  Moore,  of  Henry;  1912,  Randolph  Boyd, 
of  Henry;  Clayton  C.  Pervier  and  Frank  W.  IMorissey,  of  Bureau; 
1914,  Randol])h  Boyd  and  John  R.  ]Moore,  of  Hemy;  Frank  W. 
IMorissey,  of  Bureau. 

OFFICIAL    KOSTER 

Following  is  a  list  of  the  county  officials  from  the  organization  of 
the  county  in  1839  to  the  general  election  of  1914,  with  the  year  in 
which  each  Avas  elected  or  assumed  the  duties  of  the  office: 

County  Clerks— Oliver  Whitaker,  1839;  Thomas  J.  Henderson, 
1847;  JMiles  A.  Fuller.  18.53;  Oliver  Whitaker,  18G9;  David  AValker, 
1873;  Joseph  Chase,  1890;  William  W.  Fuller,  1894;  William  E. 
Nixon,   1902. 

Recorders— B.  M.  Jackson,  1839;  J.  W.  Henderson,  1843;  Sam- 
uel G.  Butler,  1847.  'With  the  adoption  of  the  constitution  of  1848 
the  office  of  recorder  was  abolished,  except  in  counties  having  a  popu- 
lation of  60,000  or  more,  and  the  clerk  of  the  Circuit  Court  was  made 
ex-officio  recorder  in  counties  having  less  than  that  number  of  in- 
habitants. 

Circuit  Clerks— Oliver  Whitaker.  1848;  Jefferson  Winn.  18,)2; 
Patrick  M.  Blair.  1860;  John  M.  Brown.  1868;  James  Kinney,  1888; 
Joseph  Chase,  1896;  Elisha  B.  Redfield,  1904;  Walter  F.  Young, 
1912. 

Sheriffs— Augustus  A.  Dunn.  1839;  John  Finley.  1840;  John  W. 
Henderson.  1844;  John  Finley.  1848;  William  F.  Thomas.  18.50; 
Clinton  Fuller,  1852;  Joseph  Blanchard,  18.54;  Henry  Breese,  18.56; 
Oliver  P.  Emery.  18.58;  Elisha  Greenfield,  1860;  B.  Frank  Fuller, 
1862;  John  M.  Brown,  1864;  Jesse  Likens,  1866;  S.  M.  Adams, 
1868;  C.  F.  Hamilton.  1878;  Samuel  M.  Adams.  1880;  Andrew  Gal- 
braith.  1882;  James  Montooth.  1886;  William  Hughes.  1890;  Donald 


HISTORY  OF  STARK   C  OUNTY  313 

Murchisoii,  1894;  John  P.  Williams,  1898;  Thomas  J.  Maloiif,  190-J; 
Edwin  Ci.  \Villiams()ii,  190(!;  Tliomas  J.  ^lalone,  1910;  James  K. 
Fuller,  191  J.. 

Treasurers — ^liuott  Silliiiuui,  18:i9;  Reiijamiu  Turner,  184.9; 
Uavis  Lowman,  1853;  Hugh  Rhodes,  1859;  William  Lovvman,  1861; 
C.  M,  S.  Lyons,  1803;  R.  J.  Dickinson,  18(5.5;  Orlando  Brace,  1873; 
John  Hawks,  188(j;  Donald  ^Murchison.  189():  Jas])er  N.  Kitterman, 
1891.:  ^Vill)er  P.  Snare,  1898;  Fred  J.  Rhodes,  1902;  Charles  W. 
Rocock,  1906;  E.  G.  Williamson,  1910;  Henry  D.  D.  Martin,  1914. 

Surveyors — Carson  Berfield,  1839;  Sjdvester  F.  Ottnian,  18.53; 
AVilliam  Nowlan,  1861;  Henry  H.  Oliver,  1863;  Edwin  Ruller,  186.5; 
JMaiuiing  A.  Hall,  1879;  Edwin  Rutler,  1884;  Henry  H.  Oliver,  1888; 
Clement  L.  Cravens,  190'i;  William  F.  >iieholson,  1912. 

Coroners — Adam  Day,  1840;  John  jMiller,  1844;  Philip  Anschutz, 
184<;:  William  Chamberlain,  1848;  Minott  Silliman,  1850;  David 
JMcCance,  1852;  Euther  S.  Milliken,  1854;  Benjamin  L.  Hilliard, 
1856;  Jerome  B.  Thomas,  1860;  Jeffrey  A.  Cooley,  1862;  John  F. 
Rhodes,  1864;  John  Finley,  186();  Thomas  Hall,  18(i8;  P.  P.  Johnson, 
1870;  ^Villiam  H.  Butler,  1874;  Wilson  Trickle,  1876;  W.  B.  Arm- 
strong, 1878;  John  F.  Rhodes,  1880;  Charles  W.  Teeter,  1882;  David 
S.  Burroughs,  1884;  I^oyal  T.  S])rague.  1886;  James  d.  Boardman. 
1888:  John  X.  Conger,  1900;  James  G.  Boardman,  1904;  J.  C.  Blais- 
dell,  1906;  William  L.  Garrison,  1912. 

Commissioners^Calvin  Winslow,  Jonathan  Hodgson  and  Ste- 
l)hen  Trickle,  1839;  William  Ogle,  1840:  Brady  Fowler,  1841; 
Jonathan  Hodgson  (elected  to  succeed  himself),  1842;  Ijemuel  S. 
Dorrance,  1843;  Joseph  Palmer,  1844;  .Jefferson  Trickle,  1845;  James 
Holgate,  1846;  Thomas  Lyle,  1847;  Theodore  F.  Hurd,  1848. 

The  constitution  of  1848  changed  the  form  of  county  government 
by  substituting  a  County  Court,  coiiijxjscd  of  a  judge  and  two 
justices  of  the  peace,  for  the  board  of  commissioners.  James  Hol- 
gate was  elected  judge  and  the  additional  justices  of  the  peace  were 
^Villiam  Ogle  and  James  B.  Lewis.  The  first  session  oi'  this  court  was 
convened  on  December  3,  1849.  Tlie  same  officials  continued  in  office 
until  Sci)tember,  1852,  when  .John  F.  Thompson  succeeded  Mr.  T^ewis. 
By  the  adoi)tion  of  townshi])  organization  in  1853,  the  ])()ard  of  super- 
visors, consisting  of  one  member  from  each  township,  took  the  place 
of  the  County  Court,  the  last  session  of  which  was  held  on  June  (i. 
1853,  and  the  next  day  the  first  board  of  su])ervisors  met  in  special 
session  for  the  purpose  of  organizing.  Following  is  a  list  of  the  super- 
visors since  that  time: 


314  HISTOUV  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

Elmira  Township — Thomas  JLyle,  1853;  Myrtle  G.  Brace,  1854 
Isaac  Spencer,  1855;  James  Buswell,  1850;  John  Turnbull,   1858 
James  Buswell,  1861;  Henry  H.  Oliver,  1862;  Charles  Stuart,  1863 
Andrew  Oliver,  1804.;  Matthew  B.  Parks,  1806;  Lewis  Austin,  1808 
Charles  P.  Bussell,  1869;  Thomas  Oliver,  1871;  Matthew  B.  Parks, 
18T4;  Henry  H.  Oliver,  1877;  Matthew  B.   Parks,   1880;  Kobert 
Ai'mstrong,   1882;   ^V^illiam  Jackson,   1885;  Andrew   Oliver,   1886; 
William  Jackson,  1887;  George  T.  Oliver,  1894;  George  U.  Board- 
man,  1900  (re-elected  at  each  succeeding  election  to  1914) . 

Eissex  Township — Lemuel  Dixon,  1853;  Josiah  Mottitt,  1855; 
Henry  Colwell,  1857;  John  Chaffee,  1859;  Jonathan  Nicholas,  1802; 
William  H.  Butler,  1803;  Edward  Trickle,  1865;  Sylvester  F.  Ott- 
jnan,  1866;  Hopkins  Shivvers,  1867;  Phihp  F.  Earhart,  1870:  John 
H.  Ogle,  1871;  Timothy  Bailey,  1874;  Jacob  Graves,  1875;  Philip  F. 
Earhart,  1877;  James  M.  Rogers,  1878;  William  H.  Graves,  1879; 
Philip  F.  Earhart,  1880;  John  Jordan,  1882;  Philip  F.  Earhart,  1883; 
John  Jordan,  1886;  John  H.  Ogle,  1890;  M.  R.  Cox,  1891;  Lemuel 
Dixon,  1895;  P.  B.  Colwell,  1905;  S.  B.  Adams,  1913;  W.  L.  Hag- 
erty,  1914. 

Goshen  Township — Lewis  H.  Fitch,  1853;  Henry  Hayes,  1850; 
Theodore  F.  Hurd,  1858;  Jacob  Emery,  1801;  Joseph  Atherton, 
1863;  James  H.  Quinn,  1805;  Julius  Ives,  1870;  D.  J.  Hurd,  1871; 
Julius  Ives,  1872;  D.  J.  Hurd,  1873;  Harrison  Miner,  1875;  Joseph 
D.  Rhodes,  1879;  Luman  P.  Ilimes,  1880;  J.  S.  Atherton,  1882; 
James  II.  Quinn,  1883;  J.  S.  Atherton,  1884;  John  F.  Rhodes,  1885; 
Harrison  Miner,  1890;  E.  S.  BufFum,  1891;  J.  H.  Baker,  1893;  W. 
F.  Nicholson,  1903;  Robert  Fell,  1905;  Edd  Nowlan,  1913;  David 
Carstairs,  1915. 

Osceola  Township— Bradford  S.  Foster,  1853;  William  W. 
Winslow,  1855;  Isaac  W.  Searle,  1859;  John  Winslow,  1800;  John 
Lackie,  1801;  Bradford  F.  Thompson.  1800;  John  Lackie.  1807; 
Charles  Wilson,  1808;  Augustus  L.  Thompson,  1809;  John  Lackie, 
1870;  Philip  Munson,  1872;  John  Lackie,  1874;  John  D.  Hatfield, 
1882;  Mordecai  Bevier,  1884;  James  Hall,  1887:  Mordecai  Bevier, 
1889;  William  M.  Pilgrim,  1890;  ^Mordecai  Bevier,  1894;  Thomas 
F.  Fate,  1890;  Thomas  Ilickey,  1898;  INIordecai  Bevier.  1900;  F.  J. 
Liggett,  1902;  J.  H.  Hall,  1908;  H.  P.  Hopkins,  1910;  J.  M.  Liggett, 
1912 ;  H.  P.  Hopkins,  1914. 

Penn  Township — James  Holgate,  1853;  Nathan  Snare,  1854 
Henry  Breese,  1850;  IMilan  B.  Little.  1857:  Benjamin  Bimnell.  1858 
Nathan  Snare,  1800;  Samuel  Crum.  1802;  Samuel  G.  Averv,  1803 


HISTORY   OF  STAUK  COL'XTV  315 

Xatlian  Doivjiiiig,  18G4:  John  Snare,  18(J.):  John  Ackley,  1800;  Cynis 
Eocock,  1808;  G.  W .  Brown,  1872;  Kohert  xMcBocock,  1874.;  James 
Snare,  188();  Cyrus  Eocock,  1887;  William  C.  Eedding,  1890;  E.  F. 
Gharrett,  1801;  Zura  Fuller,  1893;  Weldon  Reagan,  1890;  Dominick 
Flarty.  1897;  C  \V.  Eocock,  1903;  Uominick  Ilarty,  1907;  A.  A. 
Webber,  1909;  Harry  Earton.  1911  (re-elected  at  each  succeeding 
election  to  1915). 

Toulon  Township — Calvin  L.  Eastman,  18.33;  John  Eerfield, 
18.54;  Amos  P.  Gill.  18.3.3;  John  Eerfield,  18.50;  George  W. 
Dewey,  18.39;  Davis  l.owman,  1800;  John  JNlurnan,  1802;  Erady 
Fowler,  1803;  Isaac  Thomas,  1804;  George  W.  Dewey,  180.3;  C.  M. 
S.  Lyon,  1808;  Erady  Fowler,  1809;  C.  M.  S.  Lyon,  1870;  James 
Fraser.  1871 :  Jonathan  Fowler,  1873;  James  Nowlan,  1875;  William 
P.  Caverly,  1879;  Jonathan  Fowler,  1881;  William  P.  Caverly,  1882; 
John  Fowler,  1883;  AVilliam  P.  Caverly,  1884;  John  AV.  Smith,  1885; 
Samuel  Eurge,  1887;  William  P.  Caverly,  1891;  J.  A.  Klock,  1895; 
W.  E.  Eallentine,  1899;  J.  A.  Klock,  1903;  F.  E.  Nicholson,  1905  (re- 
elected at  each  succeeding  election  until  1915). 

Valley  Township—Charles  C.  Wilson,  1853;  Jacob  Speer.  1855; 
Charles  C.  Wilson,  1850;  J.  S.  Llopkins,  1857;  Simon  Dixon,  1800; 
Henry  M.  Rogers,  1801;  James  ^I.  Rogers,  1803;  Nathaniel  Smith, 
1805;  James  M.  Rogers,  1800;  John  Speer,  1808;  Henry  M.  Rog- 
ers, 1809;  John  Jordan,  1875;  Henry  JVI.  Rogers,  1870;  Edward 
Colgan,  1877;  John  Speer,  1887;  Edward  CVilgan,  1889;  William 
(iill,  1895;  Owen  W.  Hurd,  1890;  James  JMcCurdy,  1900;  AVilliam 
Gorman,  1910;  Grant  Eurdick,  1912;  James  INIcCurdy,  1914. 

West  Jersey  Township— William  W.  Webster,  1853;  C.  M.  S. 
Lyon,  1850;  Sylvester  H.  Sanders,  1858;  Ephraim  iAIarkley,  1859; 
C.  M.  S.  Lyon,  1800;  xVaron  Schmuck,  1801;  C.  M.  S.  Lyon,  1802; 
IMilton  Atherton,  1803;  Isaac  L.  Newman,  1804;  Nelson  Jones, 
1805;  Levi  Eckley,  1808;  Isaac  L.  Newman,  1809;  Andrew  J.  John- 
son, 1871;  Daniel  R.  Gelvin,  1873;  James  McGiniiis.  1870;  Andrew 
J.Johnson,  1877;  Isaac  L.  Newman.  1878;  IT.  C.  Hyde,  1880;  George 
INI.  Ilazen,  1881;  Lewis  C.  Egbert,  1882;  Philip  Eeamer,  1884;  Lewis 
C.  Egbert,  1885;  John  Hazen,  1880;  Charles  A\^  Terry,  1887;  Lewis 
C.  Egbert,  1888;  Carlon  Rice,  1889;  Thomas  J.  Dryden,  1892;  L.  A. 
Kamerer,  1912:  F.  V.  Addis,  1914. 

PRESIDENTIAL   ELECTIONS 

Following  is  tlie  vote  of  Stark  County  for  I'resident  and  A^ice 
Pi-esident  from  its  organization  to  1912,  inclusive.     In  the  tal)le  the 


316 


IIISTORV  OF  STARK  COUNTY  i 


whig  and  republican  candidates  are  first  given,  followed  by  the  demo- 
cratic candidates,  and  in  a  few  important  instances  third  party 
candidates  are  given  as  indicated  in  parentheses: 

1840 — Harrison  and  Tyler 187 

Van  Buren  and  Johnson 1^4 

1844- — Clay  and  Frelinghuysen 187 

Polk  and  Dallas 206 

1848— Taylor  and  Fillmore 214 

Cass  and  Eutler 174 

Van  Buren  and  Dodge  (Free  Soil) 84 

18.52— Scott  and  Graham 336 

Pierce  and  King 3.30 

Hale  and  Julian  (Free  Soil) 82 

1856 — Fremont  and  Dayton 718 

Buchanan  and  Breckenridge 352 

Fillmore  and  Donelson  (American) 1.52 

1860— Lincoln  and  Hamlin 1,164 

Douglas  and  Johnson 6.59 

Breckenridge  and  Lane  (Dem.) 1 

Bell  and  Everett  (American) 23 

1864 — Lincoln  and  Johnson 1,174 

McClellan  and  Pendleton 613 

1868— Grant  and  Colfax 1,394 

Seymour  and  lilair 705 

1872— Grant  and  Wilson 1.218 

Greeley  and  Brown 606 

1876 — Hayes  and  Wheeler 1,440 

Tilden  and  Hendricks 786 

1880 — Garfield  and  Arthur 1,383 

Hancock  and  English 681 

1884 — Blaine  and  Logan 1,365 

Cleveland  and  Hendricks 784 

1888— Harrison  and  JNIorton 1,359 

Cleveland  and  Thurman 826 

1892 — Harrison  and  Beid 1.240 

Cleveland  and  Stevenson 824 

1896— IMcKinley  and  Hobart 1,636 

Bryan  and  Sewall 1.020 

Palmer  and  Buckner  (Ciold  Dem.) 17 

1900— ]\IcKinley  and  Roosevelt 1.665 

Brvan  and  Stevenson 939 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  317 

1904 — Roosevelt  and  Fairbanks 1,704 

Parker  and  Davis .'574 

1908— Taft  and  Sherman l.(i;j.> 

Bryan  and  Kern 7-38 

1912— Taft  and  Sliernum o49 

Wilson  and  IMarshall CM9 

Roosevelt  and  Johnson  (Progressive)  .  .  .  .1,0.5.'$ 

Chafhn  and  Watkins  (Prohi.) 2.5 

Debs  and  Seidel  (Socialist) 41 

CHRONOLOGY 

In  the  foregoing  chapters  a  conscientious  effort  has  been  made  to 
give  an  authentic  and  comprehensive  account  of  the  progress  of  Stark 
County  along  industrial,  educational,  professional  and  religious  lines, 
as  well  as  her  part  in  the  military  affairs  of  the  nation  when  treason 
sought  to  disrupt  the  Union.  As  a  conclusion  to  this  work  it  is  deemed 
apiDrojiriate  to  give  a  list  of  the  principal  events  leading  up  to  the 
settlement  and  organization  (if  the  county,  together  with  those  that 
have  some  bearing  upon  its  more  recent  history.  At  tirst  glance,  some 
of  these  events  may  seem  to  be  only  remotely  connected  with  the 
county's  story,  but  it  must  be  remembered  that  every  political  sub- 
division is  but  the  product  of  an  evolution,  its  origin  often  being  found 
in  some  incident  that  hap])ened  many  years  before,  and  perhaps  in 
some  distant  state,  or  even  a  foreign  country.  Hence  each  event  in  the 
following  list  wielded  its  inlluence  in  shaping  the  destinies  of  Stark 
County. 

,  1671.    Nicholas  Perrot,  the  French  explorer,  visits  the  region 

about  the  sources  of  the  Illinois  River. 

,  1672.    Fathers  Allouezand  Dablon,  Jesuit  missionaries,  visit 

some  of  the  Indian  tribes  in  the  Illinois  country. 

,  1073.     Father  Martjuette  passes  up  the  Illinois  and  Des- 

])laines  rivers  on  his  return  from  exploring  the  ]Mississi])])i  River. 

January  8,  1 080.  I^a  Salle  reaches  Lake  Peoria  on  his  first  attcm])t 
t(j  find  tiie  mouth  f)f  the  ^Mississippi. 

April  9,  1682.  La  Salle  reaches  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi  and 
claims  all  the  country  drained  by  the  great  river  and  its  tributaries  for 
France  under  the  name  of  "liouisiana."  Under  this  claim  the  present 
State  of  Illinois  became  a  French  ]Jossession. 

,  1712.  Antoine  Crozat  granted  the  exclusive  ti-ade  with  Loui- 
siana by  the  French  Government.  He  was  succeeded  by  the  Western 
Company  in  1717. 


318  HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

,   1718.     French  settlements  made  at  Kaskaskia  and   Fort 


Cliartres  under  the  auspices  of  the  Western  Comiiany. 

April  10,  1732.  The  Western  Company  surrenders  its  charter  and 
"Louisiana"  (including-  Illinois)  again  became  a  crown  province. 

February  10,  1708.  French  and  Indian  Avar  concluded  by  the 
Treaty  of  Paris.  All  that  part  of  Louisiana  lying  east  of  the  jVIissis- 
sippi,  except  the  Isle  of  Orleans,  ceded  to  Great  Britain  and  Illinois 
thus  becomes  an  English  possession. 

December  30,  1704.  Gen.  Thomas  Gage  issues  a  proclamation 
providing  for  the  safe  removal  of  all  French  subjects  who  were  un- 
willing to  become  subjects  of  the  British  crown. 

October  10,  170,5.  Fort  Chartres  occupied  by  a  detachment  of 
British  soldiers. 

,  1778.     The  British  posts  of  Kaskaskia,  Cahokia  and  Fort 

Cliartres  in  Illinois,  and  Vincennes,  Indiana,  surrender  to  Gen.  George 
Rogers  Clark. 

October.  1778.  The  Comity  of  Illinois  established  by  the  Virginia 
Legislatiu-e,  that  colony  claiming  the  territory  conquered  by  General 
Clark. 

December  12,  1778.  John  Todd,  the  lieutenant  commander  for 
Illinois  County  aiipointed  by  Governor  Patrick  Henry,  arrives  at 
Kaskaskia. 

September  3,  1783.  The  Revolutionary  war  concluded  by  the 
Treaty  of  Paris,  which  fixed  the  Mestern  boundary  of  the  United 
States  at  the  JNIississippi  River.  Illinois  thus  became  a  part  of  the 
territory  of  the  new  re])ublic. 

August  3,  179.5.  Treaty  with  several  Indian  tribes  negotiated  at 
Greenville,  Ohio.  A  square  mile  of  land  where  Chicago  now  stanils, 
another  square  mile  at  the  foot  of  Peoria  Lake,  and  two  stjuare  miles 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Illinois  River  set  ajiart  as  Indian  reservations. 

May,  1800.  Indiana  Territory,  including  the  present  State  of 
Illinois,  established  and  Gen.  William  H.  Harrison  appointed  gov- 
ernor. 

August  13,  1803.  A  treaty  negotiated  at  Vincennes  with  the 
Kaskaskia  Indians  and  the  remnants  of  other  Illinois  tribes,  by  which 
those  Indians  ceded  all  their  lands  except  3.50  acres  to  the  United 
States. 

November  3,  1804.  A  treaty  concluded  with  the  Sacs  and  Foxes 
at  St.  Ix)uis,  providing  for  the  cession  to  the  United  States  of  all  the 
lands  claimed  by  those  tribes  bounded  by  the  Mississippi.  Wisconsin, 
Fox  and  Illinois  rivers. 


I 


I 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  319 

February  3,  1809.  Territory  of  Illinois  established  by  an  act  of 
Congress  and  Xinian  Edwards  appointed  governor. 

,  181-i.    Fort  Clark  built  about  where  the  City  of  Peoria  now 

stands.  A  French  trading  post  had  been  in  existence  here  for  many 
years.    The  fort  was  biu'ned  in  1818.  .  ' 

May  13,  181G.  Treaty  of  St.  Louis,  by  which  the  Sacs  and  Foxes 
confirm  the  conditions  of  the  treaty  of  November  3,  1804. 

April  18.  1818.  Congress  passes  an  act  authorizing  the  people  of 
Illinois  to  hold  a  constitutional  convention. 

October  5,  1818.     The  state  government  organized  at  Kaskaskia. 

December  3,  1818.    Illinois  admitted  to  the  Union  as  a  state. 

,  1825.    Organization  of  Putnam  County,  which  included  the 

greater  portion  of  the  present  County  of  Stark. 

April,  1829.  Isaac  B.  Essex,  the  first  white  man  to  settle  in  Stark 
County,  built  his  cabin  about  two  and  a  half  miles  southwest  of  the 
present  City  of  ^Vyonling. 

,  1831.  Rev.  Jesse  Hale  sent  to  the  military  tract  as  a  mis- 
sionary to  the  Indians. 

August  2,  1832.  Last  battle  of  the  Black  Hawk  war,  in  which  the 
Indians  were  signally  defeated. 

September  2G,  1833.  Treaty  with  the  Pottawatomi  Indians  at 
Chicago.  By  this  treaty  the  Indian  title  to  the  lands  in  Stark  County 
was  extinguished  and  the  country  opened  to  settlement. 

,  1833.     A  weekly  mail  route  established  from  Springfield 

via  Peoria  to  Galena.  This  route  passed  through  Stark  Comity  and 
the  first  postofifice  was  establislied,  with  Isaac  B.  Essex  as  postmaster. 

July  i,  1834.  The  first  schoolhouse  in  Stark  County  raised  in 
what  is  now  Essex  Township. 

October  3,  1838.  Death  of  Black  Hawk,  the  celebrated  Sac  chief, 
in  Iowa. 

INIarch  2,  1839.     Act  organizing  the  County  of  Stark  approved. 

April  1,  1839.  First  election  in  Stark  County  held  at  the  house  of 
Elijah  McClenahan. 

April  4, 1839.    First  meeting  of  the  board  of  county  commissioners. 

October  11,  1839.  First  session  of  the  Circuit  Court  convenes  at 
the  house  of  William  Henderson.  In  tliis  year  the  capital  of  the  state 
was  removed  from  Vandalia  to  Springfield. 

November  2,  1840.  First  presidential  election  after  the  organiza- 
tion of  Stark  County.  Harrison  and  Tyler  carry  the  county  by  a 
jjlurality  of  thirty-three  votes. 


■S20  HlSTOllY  OF  STARK  COUNTY 

Fel)niaiy  27,  1841.  Act  of  the  Legislature  iiaaiing  coinniissioiiers 
to  locate  the  county  seat  of  Stark. 

JNlay  17,  1841.  The  commissioners  appointed  to  select  the  site  for 
the  county  seat  selected  the  present  site  of  Toulon. 

July  28,  1841.  John  ^Miller  and  his  wife  deed  the  county  seat 
site  to  the  county  commissioners. 

,  1842.     First  courthouse  built  by  Abel  JNIott. 

,  1848.     Illinois  adopts  a  new  constitution. 

Deceml)er  3,  1849.  First  session  of  the  County  Covn-t,  which  took 
the  place  of  the  conunissioners  under  the  new  constitution. 

October  20,  1850.  First  ^Masonic  lodge  in  the  county  organized 
at  Toulon. 

November  8,  18.51.  Stark  Lodge,  No.  96,  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows  organized  at  Toulon — the  first  Odd  Fellows'  lodge  in 
the  county. 

November  2,  18.52.  Township  organization  carried  at  the  general 
election  by  a  vote  of  443  to  173. 

June  0,  1853.     Last  session  of  the  County  Court. 

June  7,  1853.  First  session  of  the  board  of  supervisors.  In  tlie 
fall  of  this  year  the  first  Illinois  state  fair  was  held  at  Springfield. 

October  29,  1853.  Stark  County  Agricultural  Society  organized. 
Hugh  Rhodes  the  first  president. 

September,  1855.  Ground  broken  near  Toulon  for  the  AVestern 
Air  Line  Railroad.     Lvent  celebrated  by  a  big  dinner,  S2)eeches,  etc. 

Januarj^  4,  1856.  The  Prairie  Advocate,  the  first  newspaper  pul)- 
lished  in  Stark  County,  issued  at  Toulon  by  John  G.  Hewitt  and 
John  Smith.     In  this  year  the  present  courthouse  was  completed. 

April  15,   1861.     Big  "war  meeting"  at  Toulon. 

April  25,  1861.  First  volunteers  from  Stark  County  mustered 
into  the  United  States  service  as  Company  B,  Seventh  Illinois  In- 
fantry, with  Hugh  J.  Cosgrove  as  captain. 

]May  25,  1865.  ^Meeting  held  at  Toulon  to  rejoice  over  the  return 
of  jjeace. 

July  8,  1871'.  First  regular  j^assenger  train  arrives  at  Toulon  on 
the  Peoria  &  Rock  Island  Railroad. 

December  13,  1878.  Stark  County  Old  Settlers'  Association  or- 
ganized at  Toulon. 

April  19,  1898.  Wyoming  incorporated  as  a  city.  S.  R.  Perkins 
elected  the  first  mayor. 

Jime  12,  1902.  Soldiers'  and  Sailors'  IMonument  erected  by  the 
comitv.  dedicated  at  Toulon.     In  the  fall  of  this  vear  the  Chicago  & 


I 


HISTORY  OF  STARK  COUNTY  321 

Northwestern  Railroad  was  completed  through  the  eastern  part  of 
the  county. 

April  "20,  1!)()9.  Toidon  incorporated  as  a  city  under  the  general 
laws  of  Illinois.     George  Nowlan  elected  the  first  mayor. 

April  1,  1915.  Carnegie  Lihrary  at  VV^yoming  opened  to  tlie 
public. 

September  7,  191,5.     Toulon  Public  Ijibrary  opened. 

October  28,  191.5.  Part  of  Stark  County  placed  under  quarantine 
on  account  of  the  "foot  and  mouth  disease."  Several  hundred  head 
of  cattle,  hogs  and  sheep  killed  on  the  3()th. 

POSTSCUITT IN    IJEU    OF    A    PREFACE 

To  write  of  the  good  and  true;  to  preserve  a  record  of  tiie  deeds 
and  achievements  of  the  past ;  to  keep  green  the  memory  of  those  who 
played  in  the  great  drama  oi'  life  before  we  came  upon  the  stage  of 
action;  to  chronicle  the  doings  of  our  ancestors,  that  we  may  emulate 
their  examples  and  profit  by  their  mistakes,  is  a  duty  that  every  in- 
dividual owes  to  a  conunon  humanity.  ^Vnd  to  those  in  the  ordinary 
walks  of  life — the  real  builders  of  state  and  nation — the  history  of 
their  own  jjcople  conveys  a  greater  lesson  than  a  knowledge  of  the 
Pimic  wars,  tlie  accomplishments  of  iVlexander  the  Great,  or  the 
victories  and  defeats  of  Napoleon. 

In  bidding  the  reader  good-bye,  the  editor  and  publishers  of  this 
History  of  Stark  County  and  its  People  desire  to  say  that  no  effort 
has  been  spared  to  give  to  the  people  of  the  county  a  history  that  is  at 
once  authentic  and  comprehensive — authentic,  because  so  far  as  pos- 
sible official  records  have  been  used  as  a  source  of  information,  and 
comprehensive,  because,  it  is  believed,  no  important  event  connected 
M-ith  the  county's  history  has  been  omitted. 

The  work  has  been  one  involving  great  care  and  labor  and  nmch 
ol'the  credit  is  due  to  old  residents  for  their  ready  and  willing  coopera- 
tion in  the  collection  of  data  regarding  events  of  by-gone  years. 

Tlie  division  of  the  history  into  topics  is,  we  believe,  the  best  that 
could  have  been  made,  and  an  arrangement  that  the  reader  will  find 
at  once  logical  and  convenient. 

In  conclusion,  the  editor  and  his  assistants  desire  to  take  this  oppor- 
tunity to  express  their  obligations  to  the  various  county  officials  and 
numerous  citizens  for  their  assistance  while  the  woik  was  in  prepara- 
tion, and  especially  to  thank  the  librarians  of  the  pul)lic  ll})raries  at 
Tjafayette,  Toulon  and  ^Vyoming  for  their  unifoi-m  courtesies  on  all 
occasions. 


